Changing Winds
by shippoman
Summary: The Gotei 13 is gaining a new member and boy is this one a doosey. She gets lost on the first day and nearly destroy's her squads barracks. The Gotei 13 really has their hands full keeping her under control. Takes place years before the past arc. KenseiXoc sort of.
1. Chapter 1

SM: Alright so this is my first attempt at writing a story without my co-writer. I'm not too sure how it's going to turn out but I hope it's at least entertaining. Enough about that though, it's time to get on with the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters.

_**Changing Winds**_

Chapter 1: Arrival-Welcome to the Gotei 13

"She's late."

"Maybe she just got lost."

"Yeah, after all the Seireitei is a big place. Newbies get lost in here all the time."

It was early afternoon and Kensei was sitting in the meeting hall of the squad 9 barracks. He was waiting impatiently with the rest of his squad for the newest member to walk through the doors, but she was already almost an hour late and it was starting to irritate him. He sat at the head of the room leaning heavily on his large fist in boredom. His gray fringe hanging just over his eyes.

"They're right, Kensei! Besides she looked really spacey!" the girl next to him exclaimed cheerfully. Her green curly hair bouncing as she wiggled in her seat.

"Tch, like you're one to talk," Kensei muttered darkly. She really knew how to agitate him, and some days just her voice did the trick.

Just then, there was a soft knock at the door that was barely heard over the chattering squad members. Kensei raised an eyebrow in the direction of the door and a few moments later it slowly opened an inch or two.

"Uh...is this...the squad 9 barracks?" a nervous voice asked.

The members all glanced at each other as one of the unseated members went over and pulled the door open further. As he did so the girl behind it fell in having been leaning heavily against it. Kensei internally groaned as he watched her fall to the floor and ran a hand through his hair in irritation.

"You're late," he stated firmly giving her a stern glare as she quickly returned to her feet trying not to meet anyone's eyes.

"I-I know, sir," she mumbled, sitting up and wringing her hands nervously. Her long, strait hair was a dark red, almost black, and hung loosely in front of her face thanks to her fall. "I-I'm so sorry. I got lost along the way."

"Then how'd you find your way?" a tall thin man asked with long auburn hair. He looked genuinely concerned about her well being.

"Well...Lieutenant Aizen...showed me the way," she answered. She hunched her shoulders up to her ears as she spoke giving off the air that she was embarrassed by this.

"So...because you couldn't follow instructions, you troubled the Lieutenant of a different squad to lead you here," Kensei summed up easily.

"N-no...well I guess maybe," she mumbled in reply. "B-but he offered to..." Her words cut off as she quickly looked up from the floor to argue her case only to freeze at the look he was giving her. "Yes, I-I troubled him...to help me."

"Kensei, you big meanie!" the green haired girl exclaimed, jumping up and latching onto the slightly taller girl. "You're scaring Ume!" She turned her head, brown meeting dark green for an instant, before she smiled widely at the girl. "I'm the Lieutenant, Mashiro Kuna. Welcome to squad 9, Ume."

"Ah...thanks," the girl muttered nervously looking in the opposite direction.

Kensei sighed at this as he got to his feet and marched over to the pair. The girl froze forcing herself to stare at the floor as he glared down at her. Then he dropped one hand onto her head and forced her to face the entire squad, her eyes widening in surprise. "Alright, enough of this crap," he growled lowly. "You're entering your first squad so drop the nervous act and introduce yourself already."

"R-right," the girl squeaked, her long dark red hair bunching up beneath his grip. "I-I'm Yukiko, actually...and um, I guess I'm the new 10th seat."

"You guess?" Kensei demanded incredulously. "You are the 10th seat. Quit acting so meek and have some freakin' confidence already."

"S-sorry," she squeaked again turning out of his hold and bowing deeply to him. "I-I'll try to do better, sir."

"And another thing, it's not sir," he grumbled. "The names Kensei Muguruma. Call me Captain, or Captain Muguruma, that's it."

"Yes...Captain Muguruma!" she acknowledged, flinching under his harsh tone.

"Kensei, you're scaring her again, you big meanie!" Mashiro scolded again grabbing hold of Yukiko from behind. "Now it's time to meet everyone else!" She turned and directed the girl's attention to a tall dark skinned man with a white mask and goggles covering his face and an afro. "This here is Tousen, he's our 3rd seat!" Yukiko visibly stiffened but it went on unaddressed as she turned again facing a tall bald man with a dark brown mustache. "This is Kazaki, he's our 5th seat." Yukiko nodded to the stern looking man appearing as if each new face was only adding to her fear. Then Mashiro turned her back towards the auburn haired man. "This is Eishima, he's our 4th seat." The man smiled at her in greeting and Yukiko managed a tiny quirk of her lips in reply before she was turned yet again to a man with black hair up in a high ponytail and a white headband. "And this is Toudo, he's our 6th seat." Yukiko barely inclined her head towards the man. "Well...I guess that's everyone important. So what do you think?"

The other members in the room sweat at this knowing there were at least a dozen other seated members that weren't mentioned, but she still referred to the them as unimportant.

"Lieutenant Kuna, I know she'll get the chance to meet the others, but I still think it's a bit much to refer to them as unimportant," Eishima hissed under his breath.

"What, she'll only really be dealing with us to start with," Mashiro reasoned. "Kensei said so. Is there something wrong with that?"

Before anyone else could speak, the Captain's fist came down on the Lieutenant's head. "That's enough, they don't need to know what we're going to be doing just yet," he growled. "Now we got a lot to do, so why don't you take the kid around the barracks and show her where her new room is."

"Okay!" Mashiro agreed readily grabbing a hold of Yukiko's arm. "Come on! You'll love it!" And with that the two disappeared out the door, the Lieutenant still happily holding onto the new girl who looked like she'd rather be anywhere else.

After the two were gone, Kensei dismissed the rest of the squad accept for his commando unit. "Captain, what did Lieutenant Kuna mean about us dealing with the new girl more than the others?" Eishima asked curiously.

"She's got a lot of uncontrolled power," Kensei explained easily pulling out a few documents. "Problem is everyone she's ever dealt with has been unable to deal with it so she's had to try to learn to control it herself. We're going to be kicking her into shape before I let her go on any missions with the other squad members."

"How powerful is she?" Toudo asked confused by the explanation.

"Just her reiatsu has injured her fellow classmates back at the academy," the captain explained looking each of them over. "It tends to be triggered by her emotions or by losing her focus."

"So she has no discipline," Kazaki stated in understanding. Everyone nodded in agreement picturing the small girl and trying to figure out why their captain decided to make such an untrained girl their 10th seat.

"What are her powers?" Tousen asked, drawing everyone's attention back to the captain.

Kensei gave the group one of his special smirks. "You'll have to wait 'till tonight," he told them mysteriously. "I made sure Mashiro knows to take her to the southern training grounds. She'll give all of you a quick demonstration. Once that's over, I'm going to need all of your assistance in getting her trained properly."

The Commando Unit all declared their agreement to their captain's declaration. Once that was settled, they turned their attention to the folder their captain held in his hands as he began handing out important assignments to each of them to carry out.

* * *

Yukiko was silent as she was dragged along by the over excited Lieutenant. The older girl showed no sign of letting up either. Unfortunately, the new member could not get up the courage to say anything to her about her now aching hand.

"This is the cafeteria, Ume," Mashiro explained pointing out a room filled with tables that had people sitting at them eating. "Doesn't all that food look good?" It was clear her mouth was watering and she wanted to stop and eat, but somehow she managed to keep her focus...sort of. "I'll have Kensei get me something when we're done."

Yukiko nodded though she really didn't get what the girl was talking about. The next couple hours were spent with Mashiro dragging her all over the barracks and the rest of the squad nine area, while Yukiko tried with all her might not to fall or have her arm ripped out of her socket.

The last place she was shown to was a small room with a table in the center, a small shelf against a wall and a mattress lying on the floor at the back. "And this is where you'll be staying, Ume!" Mashiro explained before twirling around the room. "It's a lot smaller than mine...but that's okay. You can come stay over whenever you want."

"Uh...thank you...Lieutenant Kuna," Yukiko murmured nervously.

"NO! We're friends now, so just call me Mashiro."

"Ah...M-Mashiro..." she stuttered finding it difficult to call her superior something so informal.

"Much better!" the Lieutenant exclaimed happily as she hugged the young 10th seat. "Well, we should get going. Kensei's waiting for us. Oh and don't worry, all your stuff is being brought here, so when you get back it'll be filled."

"Th-thank you...I think."

"Come on!" Mashiro called out, grabbing a hold of her arm once more and dragging her out the door. "Kensei's waiting!"

* * *

Hours after the introduction of the strange girl, Kensei and his Commando Unit stood on the edge of the southern training grounds as the sun set below the horizon. They waited patiently, quietly, for about twenty minutes as the grounds grew continuously darker until the two females appeared. Mashiro was still dragging the other around, her face beaming with an expectant smile while the other looked increasingly nervous, again.

Once the two reached the edge of the training grounds, Mashiro finally let the younger girl go and went to stand next to the others as the captain approached her. "All right kid, I saw the demonstration you put on at the school," he started making her flinch slightly and her face redden. "I want you to do something similar here. Show us all what you have to offer, what your skills are, what you are able to do with just your reiatsu, and even how far you can go with your Shikai."

"B-but, my Shikai is really..." she started in a timid stutter.

He cut her off with an amused glare. "If you can manage to hurt any of us with that, then we don't deserve our positions," he told her seriously. "Now get moving."

She nodded reluctantly before heading down into the center of the grounds while the Commando Unit all relaxed on the grass where they'd been standing; Mashiro sprawling out completely on her back complaining about being too tired.

Once they were all settled in, Kensei called down to Yukiko letting her know she could start. She bowed to him, signaling that she'd heard, and made her way to the very center of the grounds before taking up her starting position.

Then she began slowly raising her reiatsu, the air around her starting to shift until it became a torrent of wind, barely leaving her visible as it shot out in all directions making her stop and stare in fear. The group of spectators didn't flinch as one strip headed right for them only to be stopped by a flick of the captain's wrist.

She stared at them in slack-jawed awe as the rest of her expelled reiatsu dissipated; all except for a single strip that struck the tree-line directly across from the spectators, knocking over several of the trees before finally dissipating. "I'm so sorry!" the girl finally expressed bending fully at the waist to show her apology.

Kensei took a moment to look at the expressions his men wore at the display and was pleased to see a rather surprised response. He could tell from that one display of power, the girl had their full attention, just as she'd done with him, and just as she'd done with Shinji; or at least he was sure that was what caught the blonde's attention.

"Don't worry about it, just keep going," he shouted down to her waving away her apology.

She nodded reluctantly after that before moving on to her sword play. She easily drew her blade and began going through all the training exercises she could remember. This part obviously was not well received by his men as they stared at her with bored expressions.

"She's not very good at this is she?" Kazaki asked frowning down at her.

"Not really," Kensei agreed.

"Her movements are rather elegant and flowing though," Eishima pointed out.

"They are just lacking any real strength," Tousen supplied.

"Yeah, but I didn't pick her for her swordsmanship," Kensei stated easily. "Just wait a second...you'll see."

They all shrugged and continued to watch as she paused, took a deep breath, and used her right hand to hold her sword by the handle pointing down, while sliding her left hand down the blade to the tip and called out, "Breathe, Soyokaze."

The energy around her exploded, shooting a barrage of wind in all directions. When the wind calmed down they were able to see her holding two fans, one in each hand. She then proceeded to swing them around her body churning the air currents around her. The amount of energy she was releasing was fairly impressive for someone who just exited the academy but what really caught their attention was when she started releasing jets of wind that would slice through everything in their path.

The Unit saw her expression become far more serious as she continued to fling the deadly wind with fluid, elegant motions. Then all at once, they felt her energy spike and a particularly powerful gust fired off towards the barracks. She almost fell over in her attempt to stop it, but soon found it was a pointless attempt as Kensei was already in front of it and blocking it with his hand.

Yukiko sighed in relief as she collapsed to her knees and panted heavily trying to get her breath back. "I can see why she needs a more powerful trainer," Tousen murmured voicing the others' thoughts.

Meanwhile, Kensei made his way down into the training ground. "You need to have better concentration when handling your Shikai," he muttered darkly.

"I-I know," she whimpered tensing in her position on the ground. "I'm so sorry. I slipped up and nearly hurt everyone."

"You're right, you really screwed up," he said firmly. Then he reached down and lifted her up off the ground and back on her feet. "That's kind of the whole reason I had you demonstrate your abilities here. Everyday you're going to be training with all of us here until you have complete control over your own power."

"S-sir?" she asked looking up at him in surprise. "How come?"

"Uncontrolled power is just a disaster waiting to happen," he explained. "Don't worry, you won't be around the unseated members until you've gained control. Can't have you accidentally killing off my squad."

"R-right sir."

"That's Captain Muguruma."

"S-sorry. Captain Muguruma."

"Ume!" Yukiko jumped as Mashiro tackled her to the ground. "You were awesome. We should spar, it'll be great!"

"Not right now, Mashiro," Kensei sighed pulling his Lieutenant off the lower seated member. "The kid probably needs some sleep too. Just wait until tomorrow."

"Ah, you're no fun Kensei," Mashiro pouted. She didn't argue though as Kensei began escorting her away from the training ground.

Before he got too far, he turned back to his new 10th seat and gave her a curt nod. "Hey, get yourself some sleep. Make sure you're ready first thing in the morning for training."

She nodded and bowed to him as he turned back around dragging Mashiro with him.

* * *

Yukiko's POV

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. It was the first time anyone had actually attempted to assist her in gaining control. She was thrilled at the idea that she'd finally be able to learn how to use her abilities without hurting anyone by accident.

She watched her new captain leave with the rest of the commando unit without any of them looking back at her and she felt her spirits plummet. They weren't doing it to help her. She was certain they actually hated the idea of needing to help such an undisciplined and frankly dangerous soul reaper.

She sighed to herself and started heading back to the barracks to get some much needed sleep trying hard not to think about her new trainers. As she went, she got some odd looks from the other squad members that she passed. Had they seen her screw up?

No one so much as spoke to her and she felt her spirits plummet even more. It was turning out to be the same as the school and the orphanage. No one would want to approach her, or talk to her much less actually befriend her. She was going to be all alone again and there was nothing that would change that.

When she finally reached her room, she collapsed onto her bed and curled up into a protective ball before starting to cry. She'd never be an effective soul reaper. She'd always be the plague that everyone that she was. It had always been a hopeless endeavor to try, as everyone had always told her. Maybe...she should really give up.

* * *

Shippoman: So that's the end of chapter 1. I know there wasn't a whole lot of information and it probably seemed weird. All the chapters will be switching from Kensei's POV to Yukiko's POV. Anyway, since my cowriter Copper Moon is unable to write currently I decided to try my hand at writing my own stuff. So let me know what you think. Criticism is always welcome, though no flames please.

Squad 9's got themselves a new 10th seat and boy does she need a lot of work. Will they be able to train her to have control or will she become a destructive entity? Stay tuned to find out.


	2. Learning Control

Chapter 2: Learning Control

A few hours after the girl's demonstration, Kensei sat at the table in his room going over some last bits of paperwork from the day that he hadn't been able to get finished yet. After a moment of focusing only on the soft scratching of his pen on the paper, he glanced up and around his room. It was a good size, holding a receiving area for guests, a bedroom and a bathroom off to the far corner. The table he was seated at was directly in the center with two chairs, against one wall sat a bookshelf filled with books, a single window sat at the far side with a decent view of the rest of squad 9, and a couch was situated nearby.

He noticed that Mashiro had fallen asleep on his couch, again, and her front was slightly exposed as she squirmed a bit in her sleep. Slowly so as not to awaken her, he reached over and adjusted it just enough to where he wouldn't have to see any of her cleavage any longer. Then he went over to one of the closets and grabbed a blanket and draped it over her.

As the soft fabric touched down, she shifted slightly and smiled. "Hmmm...Ume's strong. Pervy Kensei wants to fight her," she giggled lightly.

He groaned internally and ran a hand through his hair. She really was a pain, no matter what time of day it was or what state she was in. Silently, he returned to his seat and continued to work on his paperwork.

A few minutes later, he paused again as his mind was still stuck on the dark haired female that had just joined his squad. He still didn't really know anything about her, but based on the way she acted since she arrived, he was pretty sure most of her problems controlling her powers stemmed from self-confidence issues. Probably a few other things too, but unless it really became a problem it shouldn't matter too much. The expression she wore when she was in the zone was all he needed to see to know she would be one heck of a fighter.

Then again, he wouldn't have even known she existed had it not been for Shinji. That idiot blonde went to the academy a week before to check out the new graduates before they started trying for positions within the Gotei. When he got back he'd told Kensei all about the young girl and that he should see her in action himself.

Now that he thought about it, that was the only piece of advice he'd ever followed from the captain of squad 5. And it turned out to be a good plan.

He'd gone to the academy on the day where all the students ready for graduation would be showing off their skills not only to the heads of the school but also any captains that thought about going to see it. Most of the applicants were nothing to write home about and both he and Mashiro found themselves almost snoozing in boredom. That was when Yukiko came out.

As soon as she appeared, the crowd seemed to grow restless and pull back in their seats. Some went so far as to make cat calls. Many were shouting the name Ume and telling her to quit before she wrecked the place. At the time Kensei didn't understand what their problem was, mostly because Shinji hadn't given him any details on the girl. Then she began her performance showing her skills with the sword (not bad but not impressive either), skills with kido (average for one of her age and level), and finally she released her blade.

She was the first person there to actually blow him away. She really didn't look like much as she was rather thin and had no skill with the sword, but when her blade released he felt her swell of power and realized it was a wind elemental much like his own. Also, her reiatsu swelled to the point where it became visible in the form of wind currents much like his own, though hers held more of a violet tint to it instead of his green.

She amazed him with her level of control by moving the wind with her two fans around her body and then slicing through target after target. Then moments later her foot slipped, her energy spiked, and a powerful attack crashed against the stands shaking the barrier that was there to keep the onlookers safe. She'd quickly put her sword away and bowed multiple times to the headmaster apologizing profusely for her lack of concentration before she was escorted out.

Kensei had quickly realized why Shinji tried to get him to see her. Their skills were similar is some respects and her reiatsu had the same affect his did. Unfortunately, she lacked the control he had, which is why he was told to see her. Chances were he was the only one who would be able to fully understand where her lack of control stemmed from and how to fix it. After all, it was painfully obvious she wasn't getting much help on that level at the academy. So after that he'd pulled some strings to get the forms completed except for her signature sent to her to sign. Once she did, everything went through smoothly landing him in this position now.

He rubbed his eyes coming out of his reverie and glanced over at the sleeping Mashiro once more. His Lieutenant had really taken to the new girl and probably scared her far more than his own rough speech. Still though, he knew being soft on her would only make her worse...not like he really could be that soft. He'd just have to kick the hesitation and weakness out of her.

He grinned to himself at the thought before starting back on his paperwork. Tomorrow was going to be an interesting day to say the least. Now if he could only get his Lieutenant to leave him alone when he wanted it.

* * *

A few weeks after beginning her training, Kensei walked in on her sparring with Tousen. During this time she had slowly started to open up to the few she trained with. She even smiled once or twice, which Eishima noted made her look rather cute. Kensei had to agree she looked better with a smile, but he'd never go so far as to use the word cute.

She was also getting better at controlling herself. At the very least she no longer had her energy spiking just because she became spooked. Now she could almost use it at will without lifting her sword. As for her Shikai, he was rather proud about that one. She was now able to go through an entire sparring session with Mashiro without losing her concentration and accidentally devastating an entire area. He was pretty certain that within the next couple weeks, if the training progressed at the rate it was, that she'd far exceed the position she was originally drafted to. However, despite this he knew that she'd need to gain some experience completing actual missions as a leader herself and with a group before she was ready for such a recommendation.

Today though, was a rather relaxed session of her just trying to keep on her toes against Tousen. Kensei could tell that she'd grown rather fond of the 3rd seat so he often put the two together as it seemed to set her at ease.

"You need to increase your speed," Tousen said loudly enough to where she could hear him. She nodded, her eyes setting in light determination before she began moving just a smidge faster. "Better."

She seemed to have an inner celebration as she landed oddly and her foot slipped out from under her making her slide across the ground to rest at Kensei's feet. "Oops..." she muttered pushing herself up and trying not to show the pain she was in. She glanced up and noticed her captain standing there with an amused smirk on his face. She paled slightly taking a couple steps back. "S-sorry! I'll do better next time Captain!"

"You're doing fine for a 10th seat kid," he told her folding his arms across his chest. "Why don't you go take a break." She nodded silently before taking off towards the barracks. "Tousen, how's the training coming?"

"She seems to be grasping the concept much easier now," the 3rd seat answered walking over to his captain and sheathing his sword. "She also seems much calmer."

"So I noticed. She didn't freak out as much when she noticed me," Kensei snickered. "I'm thinking about sending her out on a mission here. There's a pretty easy one I just received that's nothing but recon in the human world. Think she's ready to try?"

"I believe she was mentally prepared when she arrived," Tousen answered calmly. "Though, only now do I believe she is physically as well."

"Heh, good answer. I'll give her the order tonight, let her have a couple hours to prepare before having her lead a small team out."

"Any idea who?" Tousen asked curiously. He knew that the unseated members were rather nervous around her, mostly because a few had witnessed her train and the story of her uncontrolled power spread. Many were too afraid to even approach her.

"I have a few in mind," Kensei answered waving away any concern. "They'll be able to take a hit from her if something goes wrong but still be low enough to take orders from her. Anyway, until then keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't chicken out before it's time."

"Yes, Captain." With that, the darker member took off, possibly to spend the day with the intriguing female.

Once he was gone, Kensei let a long sigh escape him as he thought about how that night was going to go. He was certain the kid was still afraid of him and this would only become worse once she heard his plan for her to head a mission herself. He could already see her nervously greeting the men she'd be in charge of and fail to instill any sort of confidence in them. Still, he hoped that by the end of the night she not only would manage to succeed her first mission but also prove to herself and them that she could be an effective leader.

As he stood there contemplating how he'd go about breaking the news, he was interrupted by someone jumping onto his back with a loud shout. "Kensei!" The voice alone told him who it was, though he figured out she was there long before she attacked him. She never was good at hiding herself.

"What do you want, Mashiro? I'm kind of busy right now," he grumbled.

"Where'd Ume go? She's almost always here," Mashiro demanded looking all around them from her perch on his back.

"She's taking a break," Kensei answered with a shrug.

"Ah ok then!" Mashiro exclaimed hopping off his back. "Then maybe she'll want to play!" With that she took off in search of the young 10th seat before her captain could even speak.

"Ugh, there's another one I have to deal with. What a pain," he grumbled. Then with another agitated sigh, he went in search of the men who would be leaving on the mission that night.

* * *

As soon as she was dismissed by her Captain, Yukiko took off moving as quickly as she could away from him. It wasn't that she was ungrateful to him or anything, he just kind of scared her. Granted, he wasn't nearly as terrifying as he'd been that first day but still.

She began to relax a bit as soon as she was beyond the barracks and out of sight, allowing herself a small reprieve. It didn't last long, however, as pretty soon she began to notice a small group of squad members standing together and talking in hushed voices. As she drew nearer, one of them spotted her, alerted the others and they left.

Yukiko's heart sank when she saw this, but she understood why. Ever since joining the squad she'd actually had a pretty good record...well one that said she didn't accidentally hurt someone nearly as often. Unfortunately, within her first week she'd had a moment where while on edge after a training session, an unseated member had startled her by tapping her shoulder. The poor soul reaper was blown away from her by her spooked reiatsu and shipped over to squad 4 for healing.

She cringed thinking about the incident and the look her Captain had given her for it. If looks could kill, she'd have been dead long ago...but her Captain's probably would have found a way to do it anyway.

As her spirits continued to drop, she leaned against a nearby wall and slid to the ground. She would have started crying, believing no one else was around, but a small tap on her head alerted her to another person's presence.

Slowly looking up, she found Tousen standing over her, his face hidden by the white mask. "Is there something troubling you?" he asked calmly.

Yukiko shook her head slowly and stared at the ground, then she sighed deciding she needed to get things off her chest. "I don't belong here," she muttered slowly. "I'm thinking about just quitting and going back to the Rukongai."

"That would be a terrible waste," Tousen replied easily. "We've spent weeks training you to control your power. Will you really throw all that hard work away?"

Yukiko cringed at this, but she still couldn't rid herself of the emptiness in her gut. "It wouldn't matter," she mumbled. "No one thinks I can actually do this job anyway. They're probably right." She pulled her knees up to her chin as she spoke and buried her face in them.

"Has someone said this to you?"

"They don't have to. You've heard the expression that the eyes are the window to a person's soul...well their eyes say everything."

The third seat watched her for a moment before removing his mask and taking a seat next to her. "Do mine?" he asked slowly.

Yukiko lifted her head reluctantly and glanced over to tell him she could never see his eyes cause they were always hidden. But at the sight of the milky white orbs that gazed back, she couldn't say a thing. They appeared to be sad...and maybe a little concerned. They really stood out against his darker skin, which looked really smooth and pretty.

She felt herself blush slightly and quickly shook her head. "N-no," she said quickly, averting her gaze. Then she pulled herself tighter together for protection. "I'm sorry. I had no idea that you were...well..."

"Blind?" he offered. "Yes, well I may not see as the rest of the world, but I can still tell that you will be selling yourself short by simply quitting."

"I've hurt people...and I still don't have any control," she mumbled dejectedly. "Even the Captain doesn't think I can do this."

"If that was the case you wouldn't still be in this squad," Tousen stated firmly.

Yukiko looked up at him in surprise and her body slowly uncurled. "W-what do you mean?"

"I've known the Captain for a very long time," he explained softly. "But despite how he looks, he truly does believe you'll make something of yourself. He refuses to put effort into anything he doesn't think will have any benefit."

Yukiko thought this over for a moment, wondering if what the third seat was saying was true. "And...what about you?"

"Your skills are mediocre at best," he told her bluntly. She pulled her shoulders up to her ears in response. "However, in the past few weeks I have seen great improvement. You have the potential to become very powerful. Giving up now would be a waste of that power, a waste of that talent."

She blushed heavily at this and smiled up at him. "Y-you really think so?" she asked slowly. He simply nodded while replacing the mask back on his face. She paused thinking over his words and feeling that void slowly feel like it was finally closing up. It made her feel good. Like she could actually succeed.

She wanted nothing more than to have people proud of her work, of her skill and hated the idea of letting anyone down. Leaving now before she truly gave this training everything she had would do just that...let them down. Her resolve strengthened, she got to her feet determined to keep going. Wanting nothing more than to make her Captain, and other squad members proud to have her with them.

Turning back to Tousen, she smiled again. "Thanks...I really needed that," she murmured offering him her hand. He took it and she helped him back to his feet. "I-I won't let you down, Tousen." She blushed as she said this and turned away from him, leading the way through the courtyard.

* * *

Later that afternoon, before the sun fully set, Kensei went to the mess hall of the squad barracks certain that the kid would be there. When he arrived he saw her seated at a small table with only Tousen, Mashiro, and Eishima. She didn't seem to be saying anything, but occasionally she did nod in acknowledgment of the others. Only once did he see a smile tug at the corner of her lips. Well...at least she seemed to be loosening up.

"Hey, kid, I got something for you," he announced marching over to their table and taking a seat at the end.

"W-what is it, Captain?" she asked tentatively. It irked him that she was still so wary of him.

"I'm going to be sending you on a mission kid," he explained with a wave of his hand. "You'll be heading out as soon as you're finished eating."

"Uh...a mission?" she asked in surprise. "But...I'll be going with someone...right?"

"You'll have four men going with you," Kensei acknowledged. "But you're the one who's going to be in charge."

Yukiko stared at him in shock at his words and he could see the uncertainty building quickly. "C-captain, you know I can't..." she tried to protest but he cut her off.

"You're a tenth seat so you'll have to get used to being in charge of unseated and lower seated members," he told her seriously. "It comes with the position."

"He's right," Eishima tried to reassure. "With a seated position comes certain responsibilities. You would be expected to act on those eventually."

"Especially in the moment of a crises," Tousen added. "The unseated members look to us for guidance on what to do."

"B-but I've never..." Yukiko stuttered.

"You'll make an awesome leader, Ume!" Mashiro exclaimed wrapping her arms around the younger member. "I'll even come with you."

"No you won't," Kensei said firmly.

"Why not?"

"Because that would defeat the whole purpose of this mission," Kensei said loudly.

"That's not fair! I want to see Ume's first mission!" Mashiro whined as she fell to the floor and started throwing a fit.

"You're not going so quit acting like a spoiled brat!" Kensei shouted angrily.

Tousen and Eishima just shook their heads ignoring the stares their little discussion was eliciting. Yukiko glanced from the Lieutenant writhing on the ground to the others sitting around the table. She opened her mouth a couple times to speak, but nothing came out.

"It's not going to be anything huge," Kensei grumbled deciding to ignore his whining Lieutenant. "I just need you to take them into the human world to investigate an unusual hollow. Just gather any information you can on it and bring it back. Don't engage it in battle, just observe."

Yukiko slowly raised her head to look her Captain in the eye. Then she slowly nodded in understanding. When he saw her agree, Kensei smirked and then motioned towards the door where four men, clad in the sleeveless soul reaper uniform that all members of squad 9 wore, stood.

"This is the team you'll be taking with you," Kensei introduced.

"I'm Sakagi," one introduced. He was about six feet tall with short scraggly blond hair.

"I'm Darui," the second said sheepishly. He was about five-seven and his beefy hand scratched the back of his head through the shoulder length black locks.

"Kouga's the name," the third told her. He had a cocky smirk on his face that was somewhat covered by his nape-length brown hair.

"And I'm Harris," the last one murmured. His voice was slightly higher pitched than the others, probably because he was younger, and his blue hair was styled so it stuck straight up in the air.

"H-hi," she mumbled in greeting avoiding meeting any of their eyes.

"You're the tenth seat Ume right?" Darui asked raising an eyebrow. It was clear to Kensei that he didn't find her very impressive.

Yukiko muttered something under her breath making it impossible for the others to hear her. "What was that?" Kouga asked leaning forward.

"I-it's Yukiko...but, yeah," she repeated rubbing her hands together and digging her toe into the floor.

"Then say something about it, so we can hear you," Sakagi scolded. Yukiko winced at his reply and Kensei ran a hand over his face in frustration while Tousen and Eishima sweatdropped.

"Um, if you don't mind my asking, why does the Lieutenant call you Ume?" Harris brought up slowly.

"That's what everyone calls her," Mashiro answered jumping up off the floor and wrapping an arm around Yukiko's shoulders.

"N-no, not really," Yukiko stuttered.

"Right, well since you're all introduced, it's time to get moving," Kensei cut in getting all of their attention as he got to his feet. "You four are to listen to her orders. What she says goes."

"Yes, Captain!" the four all responded with full salutes.

After that, Kensei dragged his Lieutenant off his tenth seat allowing the younger member to follow the four out the door. As he watched her slowly shuffle her way outside, he suddenly got a sense of foreboding. Somehow, he was sure this one mission wouldn't be as simple as he first believed.

* * *

Shippoman: Kensei's getting nervous. Not surprising considering how their introduction went. How will this first mission go though? Will it end in success or failure? Find out next time.


	3. Defensive

_**Chapter 3 : Defensive**_

* Knock * * Knock *

"Come in," Kensei called out from his table in the middle of his room. It was past midnight and he was staying up so he could hear the results of his tenth seat's first mission as a leader.

After the call to enter, the door to his room slid open and a tall man with long blonde hair entered. He wore a captain's haori over top his soul reaper uniform, and a blade at his hip. "Hey, Kensei, how're things going?" he greeted going in and taking a seat at the table.

"Same as always," he answered glancing up from the paperwork he had been leafing through. "Oh, and Shinji, that investigation into what happened at your barracks mess hall is finished. You should be able to use it again."

"Well, I'm sure the others will be glad to hear that," Shinji replied with a shrug. "Is there anything I have to sign or is it all taken care of?"

"No, it's all done. I had Tousen finish up the paperwork earlier."

"Hmm...good to know." He looked Kensei over for a few moments and glanced over at the snoring Lieutenant lying on the sofa. Then an idea hit him and a wide smile grew over his features. "So, did you hear about the captain of squad 3 retiring?"

"Retiring? I didn't think that was possible," Kensei replied looking up from his papers again. "What's that old man thinking?"

"No idea. He said he hasn't decided one way or another so for right now he's not going anywhere."

"Even if he did, who'd take his place?"

"Well, according to him, he was going to recommend Rojuro Otoribashi."

"Rose? That really feminine guy from squad 7?" Kensei asked raising an eyebrow. "What makes that old man think he's ready to be captain?"

"How should I know? Granted the guy is good, but I have no idea what he's expecting," Shinji answered with a shrug.

"Tch, he won't be going anywhere. He's not the type to go into a quiet life. He's much too stubborn and high strung."

"Hehe, I'll agree to that." Shinji chuckled lightly and for a few moments they lapsed into a period of silence.

It was quickly shattered as the door was suddenly thrown open revealing a very haggard and terrified looking Kouga. Immediately Kensei was on his feet and at the door catching the man before he hit the ground. "Kouga, what happened?" he demanded.

"Harris and Sakagi were attacked by that hollow," he panted heavily. "It waited until we were going to regroup before making its move."

"Where are Yukiko and Darui?" Kensei asked trying to stay calm.

"I brought Darui with me. He was badly hurt, but I dropped him off with the others and they're getting a hold of squad 4," Kouga explained. "Yukiko...I never thought I'd see her so serious. She ordered me to come back with Darui and alert you."

"Where is she?"

"She...stayed behind to keep the hollow occupied...and to find Harris and Sakagi," he explained through his heavy breathing.

"Shit." Kensei lowered his subordinate to the ground and turned to the squad 5 captain. "Give him a hand would ya." He moved over to the sleeping Lieutenant and shook her awake. "Come on, looks like you'll be joining Yukiko's mission after all."

Mashiro cheered and she followed Kensei out the door. He wasted no time in making his way to the senkaimon gate and into the human world. The moment he arrived he knew exactly where to start looking; the kid's reiatsu was seemingly out of control.

"What happened, Kensei?" Mashiro asked also noticing the spike. "Is Ume okay?"

"Let's go find out." Without another word he sprinted in the direction of the spiking reiatsu and Mashiro followed constantly asking about what was going on. He pointedly ignored her every question.

When they finally reached the area in question they were finally able to see what the cause of the fluctuation was. In the middle of a clearing where all the trees nearby were felled, was a spinning vortex of wind. On either side of the vortex, two identical hollows continued to slam into the wind trying to break through it.

"Two of them...why don't you go ahead and pick one...I'll take the other," he muttered to his Lieutenant.

She smiled in excitement as she disappeared and reappeared seconds later kicking one back. In a matter of minutes, both hollows were defeated despite the strangeness of them slipping in and out of existence. Even after they were gone, though, the vortex did not dissipate. Mashiro walked up to it and gave it a strong kick only managing to make it fluctuate a bit before growing even stronger.

"I don't get it, why won't it go down?" the Lieutenant asked in confusion. "This is Ume's isn't it? Why won't she let us in?"

"Because she doesn't realize it's us," Kensei answered easily. "Stand back and give me a sec." She did so watching him as he placed a hand against the wind vortex and upped his own reiatsu splitting it just enough for him to walk in.

On the other side, he saw Yukiko leaning over the two unmoving forms of Harris and Sakagi. "No...I-I won't fail. I can't let them in...never let them in," she panted in a very panicked voice. She was shaking and blood was forming a puddle around them, though it wasn't apparent who's blood it was.

Slowly, Kensei made his way towards the shivering female where he gently placed one of his large hands on her shoulder. Immediately she shot up straighter and spun around prepared to face an enemy. When her eyes met his, they softened and her body visibly relaxed.

"Captain...you made it," she gasped, tears slipping down each cheek.

"You did good, kid," he muttered slowly helping her onto her feet. "The hollows are gone, let it go now."

She nodded silently and instantly her reiatsu plummeted allowing the wind vortex to finally dissipate. "Thank...you," she panted before collapsing into his arms.

"Ugh...what a pain," he groaned lifting her up onto his shoulder. "Mashiro, grab these two and lets head back. Squad 4 should be there by now." With that, he opened up the Senkaimon gate and the two went through with the unconscious members in their arms.

* * *

Everything was dark and painful as Yukiko slowly began regaining consciousness. It took everything she had not to cry out in fear when she opened her eyes and realized she wasn't in her room. She figured out pretty quickly that she was resting in squad 4 and tried with all her might to remember why she was in there.

It took several minutes of calmed breathing before her memories of the night before returned and she pulled her knees up to her chest. It couldn't be. Her first mission where she was in charge and she'd blown it. Nearly all in her group had died, she'd failed to obtain any information regarding the hollow...wait hollows, and she'd nearly died trying to rescue two corpses while having the rest run for help.

She could see each of their faces in her mind and she was terrified of seeing them again. She was sure if any of them managed to survive, they'd look at her with disdain and anger, blaming her for the catastrophe of a mission and the deaths of their comrades. She'd let everybody down...there was no place for her in the Seireitei if she couldn't pull her own weight...and apparently, she couldn't.

* * *

It was the next day that Kensei found himself in the fourth squad's captain's office. He was called in earlier that morning telling him that it was important for him to meet with the captain of squad 4; though no details were given.

Although he was greatly irritated by this he went giving the order for his Lieutenant to stay behind. The last thing he needed was her making everything that much worse.

When he arrived at the captain's office, he found four of his men in there with her arguing about something. "What are you doing in here?" he demanded looking at each one in turn. Three of them had bandages on while the last one had obviously just arrived himself. The four men were surprised to see their captain and immediately started to explain themselves. However, they were all talking at once so he was unable to understand them. "Enough! Kouga, what's going on?"

"We were wanting to get in to see Yukiko," the only uninjured one answered quickly. "For some reason though, Captain Unohana refused to let us."

"We just wanted to make sure she was okay!" Harris piped up.

"She was the whole reason we made it out alive," Darui added.

"We owe her. We just wanted to see her," Sakagi finished. The three of them held on tightly to one of their injuries as they spoke.

Kensei sighed and looked up at Unohana who had remained silent during the whole exchange. She met his eye and gave him a peculiar look. Somehow he was able to understand it though and looked back at his men. "I'm going to go see her first. Only after will I clear you to visit," he stated firmly. The three opened their mouths to argue some more but one glare from him completely silenced them. "I'll be back in a minute."

With that he turned and followed an unseated 4th squad member to his subordinate's room. He was under the impression that the reason Unohana wouldn't let his men in was because she was still out or something. That idea was quickly shattered the moment he stepped inside and saw her curled up in the fetal position on her bed.

Seeing this, he sighed and locked the door behind him. "They're all alive you know," he muttered leaning against the wall. He watched her slowly unfurl herself and look up at him. For the first time since he met her she didn't look afraid of him.

"I-I know," she stuttered. "But I...I can't face them."

"Why? Because you think it's your fault?" he asked giving her a look that clearly said he thought she was an idiot.

"Yes..." she answered firmly. First time he'd ever heard her say anything so strongly. "I-I was in charge. I was supposed to make sure things went smoothly. Like an idiot I split us up just to find it. I should have realized before then how they were able to keep from being tracked. I almost got them all killed. I completely failed..."

"Oh please. Spare me your whining," Kensei grumbled walking over to her bed and dropping his fist onto her head. She shouted in pain and gripped her aching cranium while looking up at him in surprise. "You know what failing a mission entails?" She shook her head no. "You only fail when your whole group is dead, your objective was not met, and you ran away like a coward. That...is a failed mission."

After his declaration Yukiko stared at him. Her eyes which were puffy and red widened in surprise at his words. Then to add to the other surprises, he saw her lips turn up the slightest in a smile. "Th-thanks," she stuttered, but there was no fear in that declaration. "Um...I think I can...face them now."

Kensei smirked and opened the door. Not surprising, his men were standing outside the door waiting patiently for him to finish. The moment he opened the door, they stared at him until he motioned for them to enter. Then with big grins on their faces they burst through the door and rushed over to her bed.

"Glad to see you're alright!" Kouga exclaimed pulling her into a hug. When he let her go he laughed at the stunned look on her face.

"You had us worried," Darui explained.

"Not me," Sakagi spoke up. His cheeks turned a little red though and he coughed to relieve his embarrassment. "What? I meant I knew she'd be okay. There was no reason to worry."

"What he means is we're happy you're in one piece," Harris cut in.

Yukiko looked between each man stunned that they were as worried about her as she was about them. "I-I don't understand...you're not...mad at me?"

The guys looked at each other before laughing. "Why would we be mad at you?" Harris asked in confusion.

"I-I almost got you killed," she answered, her voice shaking.

"No, you took charge when things turned bad," Kouga spoke up. "I gotta admit, I didn't expect much from you when we started but you really impressed me when you told me to come back with Darui. I thought for sure I was talking to someone completely different."

"Plus, Harris and I saw you shield us from those hollows," Sakagi added, though grudgingly. "We wouldn't have made it out without you."

Yukiko blushed heavily at this and a smile tugged at her lips. "Ah...thanks," she murmured softly.

The four guys grinned like idiots at her acceptance before they all started talking about other things. When this happened, Yukiko noticed that Kensei left and she felt a swell of joy knowing he stuck around to see how they'd react to her.

"So, Yukiko, I know you don't like the name Ume but I've gotta ask. Where'd it come from?" Harris asked nervously. At his question the other three stopped and waited for her answer.

"Uh...well...it sort of carried over from where I grew up, to the academy, and then Mashiro heard it," Yukiko explained.

"Really, well why don't you like it?" Darui asked.

"Yeah, I think it's cute," Kouga added, grinning at the blush that appeared on her face.

"That's because...they only used it to make fun of me."

At her answer the four shouted in surprise.

"Why the hell would they do that?" Sakagi demanded.

"I used to always hang out in the plum orchard...and the name just sort of stuck," Yukiko explained rubbing her hands together nervously.

"Tch, well that's dumb," Sakagi muttered.

"Yeah...ooh I know. What if we changed that," Darui suggested.

"Like how?" Kouga asked dismissively.

"No, Darui's got a point. If we used it as a term of endearment would that be alright?" Harris cut in looking to Yukiko for approval.

She looked at all of them for a few moments thinking about the request and how Mashiro's use of her nickname was far more pleasurable than what she was used to. So, once she was finished thinking it over she nodded and smiled sheepishly at all of them. "Yeah...I think that'd be okay."

* * *

Shippoman: So the mission ended in disaster though the hollows were taken out anyway. But it looks like her four companions grew a form of respect for her because of it. Maybe they'll have an impact on the rest of the squad? Who knows. The next chapter what really happened on this mission and each of the guys' change over the course of it. Be sure to review and tell me what you think and if anything needs to be changed or fixed.

Ume - plum orchard


	4. Gaining Respect

_**Chapter 4: Gaining Respect**_

It was fairly late when Kensei returned to his own squad and sat at his desk to make a dent in his paperwork. Lucky for him, his Lieutenant had fallen asleep waiting for him, so he didn't have to put up with her welcome routine.

He scanned through each document separating the ones he could finish that night from the ones he needed to send off to other squads for verification, signatures, or other such irritants. This didn't take him long and at the end of it he could see his pile of work had lost a quarter of its size. Not too bad, but still meant a long night.

So, biting the bullet he got to work. He was making good time when he came across five reports all talking about the same thing. Somehow, Unohana had managed to get Yukiko and her group to finish writing their reports about the mission and make it on his desk before he returned. She was a freakin' miracle worker. Seriously.

Each one started nearly the same, but the moment the group split up it was entirely different.

"_It was dark when we entered the world of the living and I checked with our "leader" to see if she was sure she had the right place," _Sakagi had written. _"Surprise surprise, she stuttered a bit before answering. I didn't have a shred of respect for this whimp, but the Captain ordered us to follow her so we all waited to hear what plan she'd come up with."_

"_I was a little disappointed when she suggested we should split up,"_ Darui wrote. It was clear from his hand writing that he didn't care to admit it. _"I mean granted it was a large area, but we couldn't even feel the hollow. Plus, since it was her fist mission to the human world you'd think she'd at least want one of us with her, but no. She put me with Kouga and separated the rest. I got to admit though, I'm really glad now I wasn't alone."_

"_So we went our separate ways, her going North alone, Harris heading South, Sakagi heading West, and Darui and me going to the East,"_ Kouga had scratched out. His was really difficult to determine. _"It didn't really seem to do any good. We looked everywhere for this so called Hollow but couldn't find a thing. I was starting to wonder if maybe the science department had made a mistake on the location and our fearless leader had failed to check on it."_

"_I kept my thoughts to myself through this, listening to the bickering from Kouga and Sakagi over the lines,"_ Harris had added. _"I had hoped our leader would tell them to stop, but I suppose a timid soul like hers would simply take it. True we had yet to actually sense any sign of our quarry, but a little silence would have been nice. At any rate, the two hour limit came up and we started heading back. I was the first to be hit. It came out of nowhere, jumping from Hueco Mundo to the land of the living at such a speed I did not have time to register he was coming until I had his claws burried into my side. I attempted to alert the others but my hell butterfly was quickly destroyed by a second identical Hollow. We were unprepared and I believed we would all be slaughtered."_

Kensei paused at this point and moved the notes around looking for one that told in detail what came next. He settled on Yukiko's, her neat handwriting spelling out carefully the following events.

"_We were all heading back to the center of the city as per our agreement." _Figures she didn't actually order this._ "That's when I heard it, the sound of the Hollow. It almost sounded as if it was screaming in a sort of harmony...but the report said there was only one so I ignored this. I met with Darui and Kouga but there was no sign of Sakagi or Harris. I knew something had happened as Kouga attempted to make contact. There was nothing."_

** * Scene ***

"It's no use they're not answering," Kouga muttered darkly.

"I thought I felt their reiatsu spike earlier," Darui admitted. "Do you think the Hollow got to them?"

"Both of them?" Kouga demanded harshly. "Yeah right. They're tougher than that."

"W-we shouldn't take the chance," Yukiko stuttered. She knew something had gone wrong and wanted to check on them, but her nervousness made her tongue go dry. She couldn't think of what else to say.

"Alright, so what do you want us to do?" Kouga demanded crossing his arms.

"U-um..."

"You are the leader here," Darui pointed out softly. "You have plenty of options. What do you want?"

Yukiko stuttered for a moment finding it difficult to actually make a decision. Moments later, she heard another screech from the hollow and one appeared leaping out between the three and grabbing hold of Darui before rushing off.

"Darui!" Kouga shouted reaching for his sword to assist his friend.

Before he could move, however, a second one popped out and caught him along his back making him collapse in pain.

"Kouga, are you alright?" Yukiko squeaked fearfully. He muttered a few curses under his breath which signaled to her he'd live. Finding him to be hurt but alright, she focused her attention on the Hollow that was carrying Darui off. Then she dashed forward, making it in front of the Hollow before releasing a Hado # 4 directly into its face forcing it to drop the soul reaper.

She managed to catch him and return to Kouga's side as she slowly forced himself into a standing position. "Nice going," he grudgingly complimented as she handing the injured soul reaper over.

"Kouga," her voice was far more steady than she expected but didn't dwell on it. "I need you to take Darui back to Soul Society. Get him to squad 4, he'll need it to survive." She pulled out her sword and opened the gate before turning to him. He was looking at her with surprise and all signs of doubt had vanished. "Make sure you alert the Captain to our predicament. Be sure to tell him we have two Hollows here, not one, and that two of our own are probably down. We'll needed assistance if those Hollows are to be stopped."

He stood frozen in place for several moments staring at her as if she was a complete stranger.

"What are you waiting for?" she demanded. "If you don't move now Darui is going to die."

He nodded having been startled out of his surprise and rushed through the gate. Once he was gone she turned and dashed off to where she'd last felt the two reiatsus spike. When she arrived, she could see both soul reapers sprawled on the ground struggling to return to their feet and obtain their blades.

She made it to Harris' side first and wrapped an arm around him, ignoring his comments of surprise and apology, and grabbed his sword before helping him over to Sakagi. He was worse for wear unable to even sit up on his own power. Blood spilled from wounds on his chest, arms, and head. Gently, she set Harris down next to him where he collapsed again, the wound in his legs making it impossible to stay standing.

"What happened?" she asked them calmly keeping her eyes and ears out for the hollows.

"I was attacked while trying to return," Harris tried to explain. "It caught my legs and side before disappearing."

"I found him shortly after...and tried to help him," Sakagi added panting for air. "But before I could move him anywhere it came again...and this time it took a bite out of me and chucked me to the other side." He had a fit of coughing at this point, blood slipping down his chin, so Harris continued.

"We both pulled out our blades to fight it off, but there was actually two of them," he explained slowly. "They came at us from different angles again and again, cutting deeper and doing more damage until we could no longer hold our swords. Then they just vanished."

"Where...are Kouga, and Darui?" Sakagi gasped.

"They returned to Soul Society," Yukiko explained pulling out a few bandages from her bag. She knew a thing or two about wrapping an injury even if she really didn't understand how to help it. "The Hollows attacked us as well and Darui was injured so I had Kouga take him to squad 4 and call reinforcements. It shouldn't be much longer."

Before she could begin wrapping their wounds to stop the bleeding, the Hollows appeared once again leaping at the group from opposite directions. Yukiko quickly got to her feet having heard them coming and knocked them back using her reiatsu. "You two stay here and try to keep from moving too much, it'll only make the bleeding worse. I'll keep them busy until help arrives." She glanced back at them and smiled as reassuring as she could manage it. "I won't let them touch you again."

With that said, she pulled out her blade and released it sending blasts of wind in all direction. She waited, listening to the wind until she heard the telltale scream and moved her fan just in time to block the attack from one of the Hollows. She held it in place keeping the beast from drawing any closer. Then bringing the other in front of her, the wind it created cutting deeply into the Hollow's chest.

It shrieked in pain and darted off disappearing once more. She took a deep breath and waited, knowing no amount of worrying would bring them back any sooner or allow her to figure out where or when they would reappear. All at once she heard both wail and realized they were aiming for her helpless comrades.

She dove toward them making it just in time to block one attack and throw up the other fan to block the one from the other direction. She and the two injured soul reapers were trapped between the two Hollows who began scrabbling at the blade attempting to reach the holder. They pushed harder and harder at her from both sides until one of her arms bent a little giving the Hollow it was holding enough momentum forward to catch her side with its flailing limbs.

Yukiko grunted in pain and felt the second Hollow claw at her arms and legs tearing into her flesh. In a last ditch effort, she released her reiatsu in a whirl shoving her enemies in either direction where they vanished once again.

Yukiko collapsed to the ground, her sleeves in tatters and blood dripping from her side. "It won't be long," she gasped, tears sliding down her cheeks slowly. "We'll make it...we'll make it." She glanced down at Harris and Sakagi who had both lost so much blood that they'd fully collapsed being unable to move any longer. "I promise...we'll make it. Just hang on...a little longer."

She panted heavily feeling her vision go in and out of focus, hoping to feel the moment when their rescuers would arrive. Instead, she heard the howls again and saw to her horror both Hollows diving at the three of them. She tried to raise her fans to defend them, but her arms were all but useless. She could feel the tears slide faster down her cheeks and drip on the ground, mixing with the pooling blood.

"No...I won't...I won't let anyone else die!" she shrieked throwing herself over the two immobile men.

** * End Scene ***

Kensei paused again at this point knowing where it had gone. Somehow in her desperate act to save her comrades, she'd managed to form a sustainable barrier with her wind reiatsu. In doing so she kept the two Hollows at bay long enough for him and Mashiro to arrive and then enough to force him to use his own reiatsu and cancel out hers in order to get in.

He'd seen the state they were all in and could remember the look of sheer relief in her eyes when she saw he was there. She managed to save them all from Hollows that anyone else would have lost to without any proper warning.

He glanced over the paperwork again finding it fascinating that she'd mentioned hearing them, but the others did not. They claimed to have no warning whatsoever. How did she hear it?

Scanning the five documents one more time he noticed there was a single comment from Harris and Sakagi at the very end.

"_Having only seen and heard of her timidity and lack of confidence and control, I never thought I'd see her look so calm and collected during a crisis," _Harris wrote. Each letter of his fancy scroll was filled with long flowing strokes making it a little difficult to read. _"Her words of encouragement and surety that help would arrive in time made me believe that as injured as we were, we were going to survive."_

"_I'd like to say that I didn't need that runt's help but I'd be lying,"_ Sakagi wrote. His writing was rushed and scrunched together. More than likely he wanted to get it out before he lost the nerve. _"I was irritated at first needing to be saved by such a weakling, but watching her hold both those Hollows off with those girly fans of hers and then cry while covering us with her own body...I'll never say that chick is weak again. I can't think of a single person that would have stayed there to die just to keep us from getting hit again. I mean, with as much blood as we lost we were as good as dead anyway...but that didn't matter. She stuck around and faced those bastards with more balls than half of Sereitei. I owe her my life..."_

Kensei smirked to himself as he read the comments again. Not only had she managed to save their lives, but she turned their doubt into the utmost respect. She'd managed to keep her head, keep control, and even hand out orders left and right like a real leader should. This should allow squad 2 a chance to relax for a change. Maybe he'd finally get a little break. At the very least they should postpone the final decision...he'd just have to make sure she was ready for it.

* * *

Shippoman: Yukiko's desperation to save her comrades paid off as all survived and she gained some trust and respect. Even Kensei's proud of how her mission went despite her need to be bailed out. What's next for Yukiko? Stay tuned to find out. And please review :D.


	5. Determination

Chapter 5: Determination

Yukiko's one mission into the human world made a huge difference on how the rest of the squad viewed her. A few took the information about the little escapade as proof that she couldn't handle the demands of her title. However, the rest heard the tale directly from the four who accompanied her and realized just how strong and dedicated she was to those weaker than her.

Neither opinion changed the mind of Kensei about having her continue to lead missions, however, though he could tell after each one that she hadn't quite recovered mentally from her near loss of her entire group. He noticed that although she appeared to be happy and well in front of his men, she didn't sleep much and he'd often find her returning to her room late at night in an exhausted state.

Then one night he found out why.

It was late and most the other members were asleep as he strolled through the grounds. He'd been intending to go to bed himself, but with Mashiro taking up most of it he decided to kill some time by taking a walk. As he went he noticed a spike in a certain someone's reiatsu and went to see what was up.

He followed it to the training area where he saw Yukiko swinging her released blade around with as much force as she could muster. Her eyes were set in determination and she was sweating heavily.

He watched her for a time realizing that she wasn't acting like her usual self and decided he should probably end it. "Another sleepless night, Yukiko?" he asked walking towards her. His sudden question caused her to jump and a small amount of energy shoot out towards him. He easily deflected it having already anticipated it being a possibility.

"Captain Muguruma! No I...just thought I'd get a little extra practice in," she argued shaking her head. She'd already sheathed her sword. "W-what brings you out here this late...if you don't mind my asking?"

"Mashiro wouldn't leave making it impossible for me to sleep," he answered easily as he took a seat on the ground beside her and motioned for her to do the same. "I swear she makes it her personal goal in life to torment me."

"Heh...I doubt that," Yukiko replied with a small smile. She slowly sat down next to him and pulled her knees up to her chin. Somehow that position always made her feel better.

Kensei shrugged as he looked his 10th seat over. She was a bundle of nerves, though she was at least conversing more normally with him now. He supposed that after saving her from the hollows she found him to be less frightening. Somehow that thought made him a bit happier than he thought necessary.

"So...you're still beating yourself up over those four nearly dying," he guessed. She froze and her arms tightened around her knees, but she didn't answer. "You should quit. It wasn't your fault and not one of them thinks less of you over what happened. If anything they actually respect you now."

Yukiko's eyes began to water slightly as she nuzzled into her own knees. "I don't know why. I almost got them killed by splitting up like that," she muttered softly, the tears pooling even more. "I should have picked out there was more than one from the start. I could hear them but I second guessed myself. The report said there was only one so I told myself I was wrong. I could have prevented the whole thing!"

Kensei stared off into the night as he listened to her rant about her own incompetence. He'd never heard her talk so much in one sitting before meaning she either really needed to vent or she was finally opening up to him. "It was your first mission. Of course you're going to doubt yourself. It happens to everyone."

"Did...did it happen to you?"

Kensei thought it over for a moment and shook his head. "Naw, but that's because I was a cocky little bastard that thought too much about my own skills to do that." He thought he heard her laugh at his answer and glanced over at her to see her cheeks flushed and her eyes shining with concealed amusement.

"So...should I think so highly of myself as well?" she asked, though her question was slightly muffled.

"No. I'll bet you couldn't do that anyway," he laughed. "You're only going to get over this by practicing. And how do you practice leading?" She didn't answer and instead stared at the ground. "You get out there and do it, kid."

She cringed a bit at this and her hold on herself tightened again. "I can't...I'll only get them all killed. That's...that's what always happens."

"You honestly think that too don't you," he muttered finding the notion irritating. "You know they don't."

"Who?"

"The four that went with you," he explained seeing her look up at him again. "Do you know why they've gone with you on every mission since then?"

"Because you told them to," she muttered darkly.

"Tch, hardly. I haven't picked out your team since that first mission. Those four have been volunteering for it." Her eyes widened at this and began to water once more. "Yeah, those boys'll follow you anywhere. Don't take that for granted."

Yukiko stared off into the night thinking about what he'd said and wondering if he was being honest. "Did they...really volunteer?" As she asked, she slowly lowered her legs and looked up into the sky.

"Heh, go ask them yourself," he chuckled before getting to his feet. He was surprised she'd unfurled from her ball. He watched her lips turn up in a smile before her eyes slid shut and she slumped over. At first he thought she was just tired from her work out earlier, but he looked her over and saw that she wasn't breathing right.

Leaning down next to her he saw the flush in her cheeks had grown darker. Her forehead was burning to the touch and when he said her name there was no response. Just perfect...she'd worked herself until a fever set in. Idiot.

He gently lifted her into his arms and brought her back to the barracks where Kouga was on watch duty. He saw his captain and 10th seat come in and jumped in surprise. "Ume! Is she alright Captain?" he asked running up to them.

"Just a fever. She worked herself too hard," the captain answered with a shrug. "Get her to bed and make sure she stays there."

"Yes sir." He took her from his captain's arms and quickly left holding onto her tightly.

Kensei waited until the two had vanished before going to his own quarters and taking out the file containing the background information on his 10th seat he'd requested months before. He'd changed his mind once he got it and decided it was none of his business what happened to her in the past. Now that she'd worked herself until she passed out though, he realized he'd better understand why she felt she was such a source of disaster for those around her.

* * *

Hours later he'd finished reading the report and closed the folder. Now it at least made more sense as to why this was happening in the first place. Turned out she'd suffered through loss like this before which made it all the more difficult to get her to believe that it wouldn't happen again.

As he sat pondering over what to do about her little issue, he suddenly heard a knock at his door and he called for the person to enter. The door slid open to reveal Sakagi standing in the doorway completely out of breath.

"What is it now?" Kensei asked sure he wasn't going to like the answer.

"It's Ume! She's disappeared," Sakagi explained quickly. "Kouga is out looking for her right now with Harris and Darui, but we can't even feel her reiatsu anywhere."

Kensei swore under his breath as he got to his feet and woke his lieutenant. "Join up with them and keep looking," he ordered while Mashiro tiredly rubbed her eyes. "If any of you locate her let me know right away." Sakagi saluted that he understood before taking off.

As soon as he was gone, Kensei got Mashiro to follow him out the door and heading towards the border between Seireitei and the Rukongai districts. "Where are we going, Kensei?" she yawned.

"Looks like Yukiko took off," he answered. His words woke her up in an instant.

"Where would she go?"

"I've got an idea, but I don't know for sure," he answered in irritation. "If she did I'm going to pound some sense into that scrawny head of hers."

Mashiro giggled a bit at his declaration but for once it didn't bother him. He was too focused on locating his lost squad member before she attracted any unwanted attention.

At the speed they were going it didn't take the pair long to reach the edge of the Seireitei and once they did Kensei immediately began searching for his subordinate's reiatsu. He was just about to forget it and keep on moving until he did locate it, when Mashiro shouted in excitement.

"I feel her!" she exclaimed pointing off towards one of the higher numbered districts. Exactly where he thought she'd be. "Let's go, Kensei!" She grabbed a hold of her captain's sleeve and pulled him forward only thinking about spending some time with her friend.

Kensei moved along with her finally sensing the energy as well. He was relieved to find that it didn't feel like she was in trouble. Yet.

* * *

The sun was just peaking out over the horizon as Yukiko sank to her knees on a small hill far out into the Rukongai. Before her were five grave markers and below the hill just out of sight was a small building where children were beginning to emerge from, all going without noticing her presence.

Her breath was ragged and her face sweaty from the fever as she looked over the markers. "Hey guys. I know I'm probably the last one you wanted to see right now...but I had to come," she whispered softly. "I just wanted to show you that I've gotten stronger. I don't accidentally hurt people any more. I've actually got a hold of my own power. I even joined the Gotei 13 and made it as a seated officer."

She paused after this to take a few deep breaths to keep from passing out. A part of her berated herself for not waiting until she was better, but the rest knew she had to take care of this now.

"I did screw up a little while ago and nearly got my whole team killed," she continued wiping the sweat off her brow. "None of them died though, and surprisingly they all like me more. Knowing you you'd probably yell at me for even trying...telling me I was an idiot to believe I could do this job." She paused again feeling it increasingly difficult to stay awake. "Well, I'll tell you right now. For the first time in my life I feel like I can really do this. My captain and those four in my team think so too. So for them, this time I won't be giving up. I'm going to actually be trying. I won't back down anymore. I'm going to prove to myself and everyone who ever put me down...that I can really protect the people I care about."

After that little declaration. She took another few moments to allow her words to sink in before getting to her feet and slowly stumbling her way back down the hill towards the plum orchard that was situated next to the small home.

Just before she reached it, she suddenly heard the cry of a hollow on the slight breeze. Moments later she felt it appear and heard the scream of the people who'd left the small building. Giving herself a small slap to get her head on straight, she shot off towards the screams and arrived just in time to see a large hollow lift one of the children into the air.

"Help me!" she screamed trying to get out of the monster's grip.

The bystanders all called out to her in anguish knowing there was nothing they could do to save her. Hearing their cries, Yukiko steeled herself as adrenaline started pumping through her veins eliminating the fatigue brought on by the fever. Then she lifted her hand and fired off a Hado # 31 without any incantation into the arm forcing the hollow to drop the child.

After the child fell, she fled to the safety of her makeshift family cowering in the arms of one of the adults. They looked on as the hollow turned its attention on Yukiko who slowly pulled her sword from its sheath. "So, its you again," she muttered darkly. "Didn't you learn your lesson the last time I beat you up?"

Its eyes widened when it recognized the energy coming off of her. "You're that brat with the crazy wind," it growled. "I've been waiting for this moment. I'm going to show you why brats should just sit back and let themselves be eaten."

"You won't be doing any more eating here, hollow," Yukiko muttered, her eyes shrouded in shadows. She brandished her blade as she shunpoed behind the creature and aimed for the back of the head like she'd been trained.

It threw its hand up in time to block the death blow but she still cut deep into the arm. The monster howled in pain as it attempted to counter attack, but she easily dodged it and cut through its middle, drawing a large amount of blood. Unfortunately it was still alive, though moving slower now that it was injured.

Knowing it was almost done, she turned to finish the job but suddenly collapsed to her knees finding it impossible to move. Her eyes widened as she realized her fever had reached a peak and she could no longer swing her sword, much less lift it.

Seeing its chance, the hollow attacked sending the young soul reaper flying into a tree with a well aimed kick. She dropped her sword at the impact and struggled to lift herself into a seated position trying to find the energy to use kido. But to no avail.

The hollow laughed knowing she was in no condition to actually fight and finding it to be a perfect situation for him. He reached down lifting her off the ground with little resistance and chucked her across the clearing into the hill where the graves sat. Her breath was coming in gasps now as she struggled just to keep her eyes open.

"Now, you little brat, I'm going to feast on that delicious smelling soul of yours," the hollow laughed picking her back up and bringing her to his mouth.

Yukiko grit her teeth as she tried once more to summon the strength to fight back, but nothing happened. She was going to die, right here in front of the friends she'd failed to save. Killed by the same hollow that ended their lives. In a way it was fitting and she finally allowed her eyes to slide close as a tear slid down her cheek. She never got the chance to show anyone her new found determination. Never got to know how strong she could become or how many friends she'd be able to gain. It was all...for nothing.

* * *

Shippoman: Talk about poor timing. Yukiko's finally found the drive to keep pushing only to be stopped in her tracks by a hollow. Will she be able to make it out alive? Stay tuned to find out and please review. Any constructive criticism is welcome as it makes me a better writer.


	6. Growth

Chapter 6: Growth

Kensei was just seeing a hill off in the distance with an orchard and a building at its base when he felt the sudden spike of his subordinate's reiatsu mingled with a hollow's. He knew Mashiro felt it as well because like him, she suddenly sped up. When they reached the hill, they saw the hollow in question lifting up the weak and motionless soul reaper to its gaping maw.

"Oh no you don't!" Mashiro shouted, exploding forward in a burst of speed.

Kensei watched his second in command rush after her and knew she wouldn't make it in time, so he pulled out his sword and released a slash of wind that sliced through the hand holding his subordinate. The attack forced the hollow to drop his prey right into Mashiro's waiting arms. Then she dashed out of harms way keeping her friend safe.

As soon as the two were out of reach, the squad 9 captain cut the hollow down with one swing of his sword. Once that was taken care of he walked over to the tree Mahiro had stopped at. Yukiko was lying on the ground breathing irregularly. Her face was bright red and she was covered in sweat.

"What the hell were you thinking coming all the way out here in your condition?" he demanded softly.

"Kensei, don't be so hard on her!" Mashiro scolded as she rounded on him. "She can't take it."

She paused when Yukiko weakly grabbed her sleeve. "It's...okay, Mashiro," she panted. Then slowly she pushed herself up enough to sit, leaning against the tree for support. Looking up at her Captain she smiled. "I made...a decision," she tried to explain. "I'm not going...to let the past bother me anymore. But, in order...to go through with it, I needed...to tell them."

"Tell who?" Kensei asked kneeling down beside her.

She weakly lifted her arm and pointed at the hill where the stones were still visible. "They were...the ones who died because of me," she muttered between breaths. "I had to...make the promise to them."

"Why the hell couldn't you wait until you were feeling better?" Kensei demanded shaking his head.

She smiled up at him. "Because...I didn't want to lose my nerve."

Kensei sighed shaking his head once more before lifting his subordinate into his arms where she promptly passed out. Then he glanced at his Lieutenant to tell her they were going to leave and saw her eyes were sparkly with awe.

"What?"

"Awe, Kensei's such a softy," she giggled. "Is it 'cause she did something really cool?"

"No. I'm saving the tirade for when she wakes up," he responded gruffly. "She's not getting off that easily."

Mashiro giggled again and continued to heckle him about going soft, which he pointedly ignored. Instead he kept looking at the girl in his arms who, despite running a very high fever, was smiling as she slept. He had to admit, her declaration to change for the better really caught him off guard. Now, he wanted to see what sort of person she'd end up being when it was over.

* * *

The next few weeks had her training in the morning with which ever member of the Combat Squad was available and cleaning the entire squad area in the afternoon. Kensei was making good on his threat of her not getting off easily. She did everything he asked though with no complaint and every once in awhile he'd catch her outside at night training some more.

He made sure during these moments she wasn't pushing herself too hard and she would promise not to stay up too late.

After her few weeks of punishment she returned to her missions, only this time there were a lot more members willing to join her on missions. He was a little surprised by this but supposed that seeing her try so hard and not freak out when people approached her had a positive affect on the way the squad viewed her.

One month after her collapse and she was making good on her promise to grow stronger. He once again caught her training late at night and went to see how she was doing himself. As he drew closer she seemed to notice and looked around catching sight of him. "Good, she's being more perceptive," he thought proudly. To his surprise, when she saw him she smiled and motioned for him to join her.

He mentally shrugged and went over to where she was standing curious to see what she wanted. "I'm glad I caught you," she murmured excitedly. "I wanted to try showing you before I showed it off in training tomorrow."

"Show me what?" he asked curiously.

She just smiled and had him stand behind her. Then she took a deep calming breath and slowly started raising her reiatsu. When it was at a certain strength, she quickly jerked her hands down then had them raise up over her head. As her hands lifted, a barrier made entirely of wind rose as well, completely surrounding them.

When she was finished, she turned towards him and grinned again. "See? I figured out how to do it on purpose," she explained feeling very proud of herself. "It took me weeks just to figure out how I did it the first time. Then I had to try to recreate the feeling on my own. It wasn't easy, but I did it."

"How about that," he muttered slowly. "Not bad kid. Keep up the good work, but remember, no collapsing."

She beamed at him again and quickly lowered the barrier. "Sure thing, Captain," she murmured happily. "I had just finished anyway and wanted to show you. Have a good night." With that she turned on her heel and scampered off smiling from ear to ear.

Kensei shook his head amused at just how much she'd changed since she'd arrived. "They can't complain now," he muttered to himself. He took a short walk around the barracks to cool himself off and by time for Mashiro to move. When he was finished he returned to his room only to find his Lieutenant had fallen off his bed. "Perfect," he thought.

He was just starting to change when he was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a messenger. He sighed and turned to see what the man wanted.

"I apologize for the late hour," he greeted stiffly. "But this was an urgent message from Central 46 concerning the matter with the 10th seat of squad 9."

Kensei glared at him and took the message tearing it open while the messenger vanished. He quickly read the letter growing more and more irritated as he went. When he'd finished he crumpled up the letter and tossed it into his trash. This whole thing was bullshit.

"Kensei, what's wrong?" Mashiro called out tiredly from her space on the floor. She always did have a sixth sense for when he was pissed off...except when it was directed at her that is.

"They may still come for her," he grumbled plopping down on the floor and rubbing his forehead. "I won't have any say in it."

Mashiro sat up quickly at this and her jaw dropped in shock. "They're still coming for Ume?" she demanded. "No, I'll fight them. They won't take Ume!"

"If that's what they decide there'll be nothing we can do about it," he muttered darkly. They sat in silence for a time before his eyes suddenly lit up and he started writing something on a piece of paper and sealing it.

"Oh, Kensei's got an idea," Mashiro crooned. "What's it this time?"

"You'll see," he told her with a smirk. "There's no way any of them will vote "yes" with this."

* * *

The next morning Kensei was waiting in his office with a stack of papers on his desk that he was sorting through and Mashiro rolling around his room in boredom. He'd come up with a near full proof plan. Now, he just needed to get it started without her noticing anything.

When Yukiko finally entered his room she was smiling and had a bounce in her step. Her delivery of the new move in training must have gone over well. Outside he could see that her four tagalongs were right there, probably to give their support...or to be the first to volunteer for her next mission.

"You wanted to see me, Captain Muguruma?" she asked easily. Seemed she'd finally managed to fully get over her fear of him.

"I've got a new assignment for you," he told her easily holding out the envelope. She took it without question and looked it over curiously. "I need you to take that directly to Head Captain Yammamoto."

She nodded cheerfully and turned to leave. Seconds later she stopped mid stride, her entire body freezing up. "Th-the H-Head Captain?" she stuttered looking for clarification. He nodded and she swallowed hard looking down at the envelope again. "Y-you mean, the Captain of Squad 1, G-Genryusai Yammamoto?"

"Yeah, now hop to it."

"B-but, I-I've never even been to squad 1," she spluttered. She didn't want to argue with her Captain but it didn't make sense for her to take anything to another squad. She didn't think she was important enough.

"It needs to get done and you don't have anything for the time being," he explained. "Besides I've got a way to work on that non-existent self esteem of yours."

She swallowed again and asked a question she was sure she didn't want the answer to. "And that would be...?"

"Since you finally seem to be getting comfortable here it's high time you branched out," he told her seriously. "You're not going to get anywhere here unless you're familiar with people from other squads. Especially the other Captains and top level seats. So for the next two weeks I'm going to be sending you to each Captain in turn to deliver a message. Got it?"

Yukiko's already pale skin went even whiter at this declaration and she slowly turned around and headed out the door without a word. It was only after she was gone that Kensei realized he'd forgotten one more rule and went after her. As he approached the door he could already hear the foursome already offering to go with her.

Without a second thought he threw the door open startling the group and looked them all over carefully with a severe stare. "Oh and these trips to other squads, you've got to do them all alone," he ordered firmly leaving no room for argument.

He watched her jaw drop with mild satisfaction and closed the door going back to his desk. Oh yeah, this would do wonders on her self-esteem. Heh, talk about getting two birds with one stone.

* * *

Shippoman: Oh dear, Yukiko's being forced to visit all the squad captains. What purpose does Kensei really have for sending her and how will she handle each encounter? Stay tuned to find out. Each squad will get their very own chapter so enjoy it. Please remember to R&amp;R.


	7. Genryusai Yammamoto

Chapter 7: Genryusai Yammamoto

Fear.

A complex emotion that Yukiko was more than familiar with thanks to the issues she'd had to suffer through her entire life. She was afraid of a lot of things, both rational and irrational. Many of the irrational ones had been quelled as of late thanks to her current Captain and squad members, but not all.

As she continued on her way toward the squad 1 area, she could feel the fear of the Head Captain rising up inside of her. It didn't help that she'd heard rumors since her academy days that told of how just his presence could burn a person to ashes if he really wanted to, or that he'd once caused an unseated member of his own squad to go insane just for looking at him wrong.

Her four friends from her own squad tried telling her that all those rumors were completely bogus and that he was actually a pretty cool guy, though they did warn her not to speak disrespectfully. He could still be a terrifying man when he wanted to be.

Yukiko was so wrapped up in these thoughts, and in trying to squash her own fears, that she didn't notice when she entered the squad 1 area. Not until she ran into the unseated members on patrol that is.

"Hey you!" one of the patrolling squad members called out.

Yukiko flinched and turned to look at him and his partner. "Y-yes?" she stuttered nervously.

"What squad are you from?" the second one demanded.

"S-Squad 9..." she squeaked.

"What reason do you have for entering squad 1?" The first one was holding the hilt of his sword in a threatening manner.

"I-I...I'm delivering...a message to the H-Head Captain," she stuttered pulling out the letter from her uniform to prove it.

The two shared a look before returning their gaze to her. "Just hand it to me and I'll deliver it," the second ordered holding out his hand.

Yukiko shook her head and pulled it close to her. "I can't," she tried to explain. "I was...ordered to bring it...to the Head Captain directly."

"If that's the case, why didn't your captain just send a Hell Butterfly?" the first asked in confusion.

"I don't know," she sighed feeling her body shake with her pent up fear.

"Alright, well why don't I go with you, just to show you the way," the second suggested.

Yukiko was all for having a guide as she had no idea where the Head Captain's office would be. So after agreeing to the suggestion, she and the unseated squad 1 member headed off to an enormous building smack dab in the middle of Squad 1. She swallowed hard the closer they got feeling the fear inside continue to grow with each step she took.

As the pair drew closer, they were met by an older man with slicked back white hair and a thin white mustache. He looked the pair over curiously before the unseated member saluted and explained why she was there. With the explanation finished, the older man dismissed the unseated member and turned to Yukiko.

"I am Lieutenant Chojiro Sasakibe," he murmured as an introduction. "If you give me the message I'll make sure it gets to the Head Captain."

Yukiko froze in her tracks and was about to comply when her captain's words returned to her and she shook her head reluctantly. "N-No...I have to deliver it myself," she murmured, her hands shaking at her side. "I-I promise I won't be long...so please let me finish."

She slowly looked up at the Lieutenant and waited for his verdict. He scrutinized her for a moment longer before asking, "What's your name?"

"Y-Yukiko."

He nodded slowly seeming to recognize the name, though she had no idea why he would. "Very well. Come with me."

She breathed a sigh of relief that he didn't try to take it from her by force, not like she really expected him to, and followed him inside and down a long hallway toward a pair of enormous double doors.

"Wait here until you're given permission to enter," he told her before entering the room beyond.

Yukiko shifted nervously as she waited unsure of what to expect from the Head Captain as all the rumors she'd heard kept replaying in her head. Then after a time she heard a deep, calm voice ordering her to enter. Her fear skyrocketed as she started moving forward and eased the door open before entering.

No matter how many times she tried to envision what the Head Captain looked like, she never expected him to look so old and almost frail. Still, his appearance did nothing to ease her fears as she could sense an immense power coming from him. He stood in the center of the vast room with a wooden cane in one hand as he observed her entrance.

"What is your name, rank, and squad number?" he asked in his deep, commanding voice.

Yukiko nearly feinted just from the look he gave her, but she managed to calm down enough to answer. "Y-Yukiko. I-I'm the 10th seat...of Squad 9," she answered, her voice much higher than normal.

"I see," he murmured, nodding in understanding. Then he held out his free hand, still inspecting her with his dark eyes that were surrounded by his long white eyebrows. "Bring me your message."

Yukiko nodded slowly and started walking toward him, each step she took making her want to turn and run. Eventually she reached him and held out the envelope to him with a shaking hand.

He took it and deftly tore it open before reading what was written without dismissing her. When he finished, he released what almost sounded like a chuckle before handing it off to his Lieutenant to read. Then he turned to Yukiko who had no idea what he was going to say and silently stared at her.

The young 10th seat continued to look from him, to his Lieutenant and back, feeling the hair on the back of her neck stand on end and her heart beat continue to speed up.

After several intense moments of silence, the Head Captain released a puff of air before turning to his desk and walking over to it. "You're free to go, miss Yukiko," he told her. "You best get started if you want to make it back to your squad before it becomes too late."

Yukiko nodded silently unsure of what just happened. She gave a respectful salute and bow, as she wasn't sure which was more appropriate, and left the building at a normal pace. The moment she was outside, she released the breath she didn't know she'd been holding and took off as fast as she could. The more distance she put between herself and the Head Captain the better.

Still, she did feel rather proud of herself. As far as she'd heard the Head Captain was the most terrifying Captain in the Gotei 13 and she'd just survived the encounter. Suddenly, the idea of meeting the rest didn't seem quite as scary.

* * *

It was dark when Yukiko finally managed to make it back to her squad, but her night wasn't over yet. She still needed to report in to her Captain, though she had no idea how she was going to explain what happened. Not an easy task when she didn't get it herself.

Still, she had to at least try and show her captain she was gaining something from the experience.

She was on her way down the hall to her captain's office when she found her path blocked. Looking up she saw her four friends who all greeted her in their own way. "Hey, glad to see you're still in one piece," Kouga joked.

"Did you actually find the guts to stay long enough to finish the delivery?" Sakagi asked. He almost sounded impressed.

"We were getting kind of worried when it started getting dark and you still weren't back," Darui expressed with a sigh of relief.

"I think what we're all trying to say is, how did it go?" Harris finished off. He was as worried about her as Darui, but realized that she was probably drained and having the chance to vent may allow her to alleviate some of her stress.

She took a deep breath at his suggestion and explained to them what happened starting from her arrival at the Squad 1 area. Taking another deep breath after her explanation, she looked to each of them to see what they thought.

Kouga's eyes were wide and he was taking several breaths in between attempts at trying to say something. Sakagi's expression said he was grudgingly impressed she was able to stand in the presence of the Head Captain without passing out. He'd heard of people being rendered completely immobile if not unconscious after meeting him before. Darui's jaw was hanging from his face and trying very hard to reach the floor, and Harris just shook his head not knowing what else to do.

After a time they were able to get over their surprise and Darui pulled her into a comforting hug. "Well, at least the worst is over," he expressed slowly. "None of the other Captains are as terrifying."

"Not in the same way at least," Sakagi muttered under his breath.

"So, which one do you have to see tomorrow?" Kouga asked trying hard not to let on how nervous he felt.

"I think...squad 2," Yukiko murmured feeling exhaustion beginning to set in.

"Ah, Captain Shihoin," Harris acknowledged. "Well, honestly she shouldn't be so bad."

"Are you nuts? I've heard rumors her demands are way over the top," Kouga cut in. "She is a feakin' Noble after all."

"Right, Captain Shihoin is head of the Shihoin family," Darui muttered nervously as he tightened his hold on the younger squad member. "

As the three discussed the squad 2 captain, Sakagi got fed up with it and pushed between them all so he was face to face with Yukiko before placing a hand on her head and directing her gaze toward his. "Look, the point is as long as you keep in mind her status and treat her with the respect deserving of a noble you'll be fine," he declared firmly. "Say what you're going to say clearly and concisely, no stuttering, and get to the point. Nobles don't have all day to deal with lower class citizens like us."

Yukiko nodded before telling each of them goodnight and heading to her room. She'd get her report written and turn it in in the morning. She didn't really feel like seeing her Captain that night, not with how drained she felt.

Once her report was written and she was settling into bed, she started sorting through all the questions she'd been asked during her first outer squad visit. A part of her felt a little more confident, knowing what she would be required to say and she went over her answers several time in her head before finally drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Shippoman: That's one down and eleven more to go for Yukiko. She managed to make it through meeting the head captain but there's no guarantee she'll be able to handle meeting the rest. At least she has the support of her four friends to help her through it and give her advice. Still the question remains, what's the point in sending her to meet each one and what is her captain not telling her? Keep reading to find out, and please remember to review as these let me know if I'm doing alright or if I need to make some serious changes.


	8. Shihoin's Head

Chapter 8: Shihoin's Head

By the time Yukiko awoke the next morning, she had a plan fully worked out. She'd gone over in her mind the night before everything she'd been required to do or say during her visit of squad 1 and she was certain she knew how to push through her next visit.

So with a full belly, a confident mind, and an excited spirit, she stepped into the office of her Captain awaiting her next set of orders. "You're here, good," Kensei greeted as he shuffled through his papers until he found an envelope to hand over to her. "Same as before. I need you to take this directly to the Captain of squad 2."

Yukiko nodded as she took the envelope. "Yes sir, I won't let you down," she replied with a slight bow.

"You seem a little more confident today," he noted curiously. "What happened to all that nervous energy from yesterday?"

"Well, to be honest Captain I'm not certain," she answered after a moment of thought. "I am still nervous, but after making it through meeting with the Head Captain yesterday I feel a lot more prepared."

"I suppose it helps that no one else in Seireitei is as frightening," he guessed with amusement.

Yukiko blushed lightly and nodded. "Well, that too," she admitted. "Anyway, I should probably head out." He agreed as she bid farewell, bowing once more, and left.

After she was gone, Mashiro skipped into the office and draped herself across Captain Muguruma's shoulders. "Hey, Kensei, where's Yukiko?" she asked curiously. "I haven't been able to spar with her in ages!"

"It's only been one day," Kensei corrected as he ignored her location. "She's off visiting squad 2."

"You mean Yoruichi?" Mashiro asked excitedly. "Can't I go too? I want to spar with Yoruichi again."

"Forget it. She's got to do this alone remember," he grumbled quickly losing all patience for his Lieutenant. "You going isn't going to do her any favors." Mashiro pouted for a bit but she didn't argue. Luckily for him, she seemed to understand what was at stake...too bad she couldn't for other situations.

* * *

A few hours later, Yukiko came to a stop on the other side of Seireitei and bent over her knees to catch her breath. This time she'd sprinted nearly the entire way hoping to get the meeting done and over with before it became dark.

As soon as she could breath again she looked around her surroundings and continued on hoping to run into someone who could show her to the squad 2 barracks where she was certain she'd locate the Captain. At first, no such person appeared, but then a few minutes into her exploration she was suddenly stopped by a blade pointing at her neck from behind with another pointing at her chest from the front.

"Who are you and what business do you have in squad 2?" the person demanded. Yukiko could easily tell by the mask over the person's mouth that they had to be long to squad 2, maybe even the Onmyouji. In other words, you don't screw with them.

"I-I'm Yukiko," she started answering quickly, though her voice squeaked a bit in fear. "I'm the 10th seat of squad 9 and I've come to deliver a message to the captain of squad 2." As she spoke her voice seemed to be getting stronger. It was a line she'd rehearsed many times in her room before coming after all.

They stayed pointing their weapons at her for a little longer before the one holding a weapon to her throat finally put it away and released her. "You will hand over the message so that I might deliver it," he ordered.

Yukiko immediately shook her head to keep from falling to her initial answer. "I can't do that," she told him seriously. "My orders were to deliver it to Captain Shihoin personally."

The two guards looked at each other and she was worried they weren't going to allow her to continue anyway. Before either of them could formulate a reply of their own, another soul reaper appeared. This one had nape length blond hair, stubble on his chin, and a rather sheepish expression. "Is there something the matter?" he asked. His voice and mannerisms made him seem almost as nervous as Yukiko felt.

"This woman demands to see the captain," the one in front of her explained. "Said her captain ordered she deliver it personally."

"And you are?" the blonde asked good naturedly.

"Yukiko," she replied easily. Somehow he made her feel a lot more at ease. "I'm the 10th seat of squad 9."

"Ah, I see," he exclaimed putting on hand into the other. "In that case don't worry about her. I'll take her to see the captain. She as been wanting to meet this one for awhile after all."

Yukiko felt relieved to hear he was going to lead her to where she needed to go. But something about the way his mouth tilted when their eyes met and the words he'd used made her feel nervous once again. "Thank you," she expressed as the two guards left them alone. "Might I ask your name?"

"I guess I haven't introduced myself have I," he murmured to himself. "Well I am Urahara Kisuke, the 3rd seat of squad 2."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Urahara," Yukiko murmured humbly.

"That's rather formal," he commented. "Hmm...how about just Kisuke."

Yukiko blushed at the suggestion and tried to argue about calling him by his name but he waved off all her complaints and kept moving as if nothing had happened. The young squad 9 member continued to follow him not sure what to make of the talkative and expressive 3rd seat.

He told her she could make herself at home when they reached the barracks, and Yukiko was blown away when she watched the doors open of their own accord. Urahara went on to explain his captain had made it so they had power operated doors and heated floors. She didn't believe the last part until she'd removed her shoes and stepped onto the wooden floor, which warmed her feet.

"This...is amazing," she expressed utterly fascinated by the self-opening doors. She was so enthralled by the sight that she almost missed Urahara's attempt to grab her attention and quickly followed him into a large room. In the center of the room was what appeared to be a low sitting throne, of sorts, with a large cushion that a young woman sat upon. She had long purple hair, dark skin, and dark eyes which looked the new entrant over in curiosity.

"Who's this?" she asked her 3rd seat.

"I'm Yukiko," the younger soul reaper introduced feeling a lot less frightened of this petite woman. "I'm the 10th seat of squad 9 and I have a message for you from my captain." With that she held out the envelope and waited.

At first no one moved as the female captain scrutinized her visitor. "So, you're Yukiko," she murmured getting to her feet and meeting the younger soul reaper face-to-face. She reached forward and took the envelope at which time Yukiko nearly keeled over.

The sudden proximity allowed her to feel the power the woman had and her fear almost instantly went through the roof. So much for not being scared of anyone else. "I-Is there anything else you need...Captain Shihoin?" she asked timidly.

The captain turned her head and raised an eyebrow at her. "What's with the formality?" she demanded placing a hand on the poor girl's head. "Do I look that old to you?"

"N-no! Of course not! I just...it's just that you're a noble and..."

"Forget the noble thing," she grumbled tearing open the note and scanning the words. "It's just Yoruichi to you."

"But, Captain Shihoin..." Yukiko stuttered not certain what to make of the Captain. What kind of noble didn't want to be spoken to respectfully?

She flinched when the Captain suddenly spun around and had an arm wrapped around her shoulders. "I did just say to call me Yoruichi, didn't I?" she asked soothingly.

Yukiko nodded silently having lost all nerve required to speak. Yoruichi walked away from her after that and scanned the letter again before laughing and allowing Urahara to look it over. "So, what should I do then?" she mused out loud. "Got it. Kisuke, keep everyone else from interfering. I want to see how this goes." He nodded and left the room. "Alright Yukiko, I want you to flare your energy for me."

"Uh, I don't really understand why you want me to..." she started.

"Don't think, just flare it and keep it flared until I tell you to stop," Yoruichi directed leaning forward in her chair which she had returned to.

Reluctantly Yukiko nodded her understanding. Then she took a deep calming breath and flared her reiatsu. It was surprisingly easy to maintain as she stood there beneath the captain's gaze keeping her energy at full power. It was tiring work and after five minutes of flaring straight she was beginning to feel the affects.

At the ten minutes mark she suddenly felt threatened and jumped backwards to avoid an attack that was directed at her compliments of a young female with nape length black hair and an angry expression. Yoruichi called to the assailant signaling that she was at least known and Yukiko relaxed a little more, though she did not fully drop her guard.

There were a few minutes of exchanged words between the two and moments later the person was sent out of the room with an irritated look that did not seem to match the blush that was apparent on her cheeks.

"Sorry about that, Soi Fon tends to take things a bit too seriously," Yoruichi laughed. "Still you managed to do pretty well. I think I'm satisfied. You can return to your squad now, Yukiko."

"Thank you, Yoruichi," Yukiko replied with a bow. She then turned and left, bidding farewell to the 3rd seat on her way passed.

The moment she was out of the barracks, she booked it back to her own squad managing to make it there just as the sun was setting.

* * *

Once she'd cleaned up and gotten something to eat, she once again met with her four friends and began discussing how her mission went. She told them all about meeting the 3rd seat and how he seemed to be hiding something, though his casual attitude helped her relax despite her nervousness. Then she told them about how the Captain was nothing like how they'd heard. She might have been noble but there was nothing about her attitude and disposition that counted as nobility.

Finally she told about her harrowing fight with the unseated member that attacked her out of nowhere. It happened because she was flaring her reiatsu, at the captain's request, but it still really freaked her out and she couldn't decide if she was permitted to fight the member or if she would be forced to try and ignore it.

After her very long explanation, that had them interrupting her every step of the way to get something clarified, she was able to steer the conversation over to something a bit more interesting. To her at least.

"So then this means you'll be heading over to squad 3 tomorrow right?" Darui asked curiously.

Yukiko nodded. "Yep, and the day after that should be squad 4."

"Basically she's saying that each day will have the next squad in sequential order," Harris summed up quickly.

"Ugh, that's got to be a pain," Kouga groaned. "I mean, Head Captain aside, there are a few captains I wouldn't want to deal with if I could help it."

"Based off of rumors that is," Harris added giving him a look. He really didn't want to frighten Yukiko again. She seemed as if the idea of meeting each of the Captains was growing on her.

"Well, it's not like any of us every actually get the chance to deal with the other squads," Sakagi grumbled.

"True...I guess in that sense I'm kind of jealous," Darui admitted sheepishly.

"Don't be," Yukiko told him seriously. "I've come to the conclusion that our own Captain is the only sane one...well maybe the captain of squad 5 could be considered sane. But so far the others I've met have been...a little too much."

"I hear ya. Just wait till you reach squad 8," Kouga laughed. "With him, just remember to say no."

"No, Captain Shunsui will be relatively easy to handle," Harris disagreed. "Now squad 6 Captain will be a handful."

"Tch, not as much as squad 11," Sakagi scoffed.

"That's for a different reason though," Darui cut in. "Everyone knows squad 11 people are insane anyway."

Yukiko began to sweat a little as the conversation continued. She'd been starting to feel pretty good about her chances, but hearing all this now was making it that much more difficult to want to continue. At least she knew that Captain Unohana from squad 4 would be an easy visit. She'd already met her before so doing so again without being sick would be a nice change of pace.

* * *

Shippoman: Well looks like she's made a new friend, sort of, and has completed the second of twelve squads. She's feeling pretty good about the rest too, or at least she was until her friends started talking about all the negative rumors. Jerks. Well at least the worst is behind her and it can only be smooth sailing from here. Right? Stay tuned to see how the rest will turn out and find out why Kensei came up with this idea in the first place. And please remember to R&amp;R...I really like getting feedback from you the readers. Tell me I'm doing alright, or tell me I suck and I need to change it up a bit. Literally any form of feedback would be nice. At least it let's me know people are still reading...


	9. Sickness and Health

Chapter 9: Sickness and Health

The next morning Yukiko was ready and raring to go. She quickly prepared herself for the journey and was in her captain's office before breakfast. He gave her the envelope she was to deliver and she left without eating anything. She was eager to see the squad 3 captain, and eager to get it over with at the same time.

It didn't take her too long to arrive at the edge of squad 3, but from here she knew she needed to be careful. So she pulled out the map she'd made for herself the night before and started following it along. The last thing she wanted was another squad that thought she was too much of an airhead to find her own way.

It took her a good hour to navigate the area and find the barracks. Thankfully the squad members here seemed a bit more lax than previous as none of them stopped her to ask what she was doing. Apparently she just didn't come off as very threatening.

To her relief, after entering the barracks, she found a squad member who pointed her in the direction of the Captain's office. When she found it, she knocked on the door and was permitted to enter. The man who'd called her in was elderly in appearance, even more so than the Head Captain, and he scrutinized her for a moment before speaking.

"You're not from my squad, who are you?" he asked calmly.

Yukiko took a deep breath and then smiled. "I'm Yukiko, the 10th seat of squad 9," she answered confidently. After doing two other times she was feeling pretty good about it. It helped that this captain gave off the air of kindly grandfather. She naturally felt herself relaxing somehow. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Captain Koizumi."

"I see, and you have something for me?" Yukiko nodded and walked forward, handing over the envelope. He took it, tore it open, and read the contents before nodding in acknowledgment. "So, Yukiko, how are you enjoying your time in your squad?"

The young soul reaper was a little surprised by his question but was able to go with it anyway. She explained how nice it was to have someone actually think she could be successful and train her to be so. And she had to admit it was nice to have friends for once. He went on to ask her about different things; her training, her missions, her skills, and what she thought of the squads she'd already been introduced to. She answered everything he asked as clearly as she could while still trying to maintain some sort of respect for the captain.

By the time their discussion was over, Yukiko was certain he would become one of her favorite captains. After all, he wasn't scary, he was a bit over the top with a few of his ideals and when he spoke to her he had a gentle smile that seemed to ease all her worries.

"Oh, one last thing before you go," Koizumi called out. Yukiko paused in her retreat to turn and face him once more. She saw him holding out a box of wrapped candies. "Here, for your time."

Yukiko didn't really feel like eating anything sweet, but she couldn't exactly turn him down either. So resignedly she walked over to his desk and took one of the candies before opening it and popping the small treat into her mouth.

Right away she wanted to spit it out as the flavor was anything but good. Still, it was given to her by a Captain so she bit back her disgust and smiled at him. "Thank you," she murmured with a bow. Then she turned and left.

By the time she was out of the barracks, her desire to simply throw the candy away had dwindled. It wasn't a terrible as she'd previously thought. In fact she thought it was actually gaining some sort of normal candy flavor. Still, it wasn't very good and she would have to remind herself to decline the offer for another should she meet him again.

She traveled back to her own squad at a good pace, moving slower and slower the farther she went. Somehow, even though all she'd done was travel between squads and chat, she was growing tired. Because of her tiredness, it took her an extra couple hours to return to her squad than it should have.

Unfortunately, because of this her friends were worried about her and were waiting for when she returned. "Ume, are you alright?" Darui asked as soon as she stepped into the barracks.

She looked up at the four of them, her eyelids drooping in exhaustion. "Y-yeah," she mumbled after a moment. "I'm just...so tired. I'll be fine though."

"Well of course you're tired, you skipped breakfast you idiot," Sakagi scolded.

"I doubt that's all it is," Harris murmured thoughtfully. "She has been taking on tasks that last all day as of late. It's possible it's just catching up with her."

"Nah, if that was the case she'd be getting a fever again," Kouga sighed shaking his head. "You really should take better care of yourself though."

"Sorry...I think I'm going to go to sleep though," she grunted as she moved passed them and over to her own room. She bid her friends goodnight and walked into her room before passing out on her bed.

"Guys, she really didn't look very good," Darui muttered worriedly. "Should we see if the Captain will ask someone from squad 4 to come by and take a look?"

"I doubt it's anything serious enough to get squad 4 involved," Harris replied encouragingly.

"What is?"

The question startled the four and they turned to see their Captain standing above them with an eyebrow raised. Beside him stood Mashiro with a curious expression on her face.

"C-captain...well she looked exhausted," Darui started.

"She didn't seem like she did anything different from the last two day though," Kouga pointed out.

"She looked like she ate something she shouldn't have," Sakagi finished.

"Well, did she tell you what she did with Koizumi?" Kensei asked folding his arms.

"No...but she was sucking on a candy that she then swallowed when she reached her room," Harris answered after a moments thought.

"Candy?" Kensei and Mashiro exchanged a look at this and he shook his head. "She'll be fine. Just give her time to rest."

Once he was back in his own room with Mashiro, he sat down and got to work sending a message using a hell butterfly.

"Whatcha' doing Kensei?" Mashiro asked curiously.

"Asking Unohana to come out here tomorrow morning. Chances are Yukiko's not going to be able to go anywhere," he muttered as he finished and sent the butterfly off.

"Why's that?"

"Did you ever try one of that guy's candies?"

Mashiro thought about this for a moment before sticking her tongue out. "Yeah, they were really gross. I spat it out."

"Yeah...she managed to finish it," he responded simply.

Mashiro thought this over for a few moments before finally understanding what he was getting at. "I see, you think she's not feeling well because of the candy and it'll get worse by tomorrow," she guessed.

"Exactly," he answered laying back on his bed. "Still, it is surprising she was able to make it all this way and actually finish the thing."

* * *

"Ugh, Captain Unohana. My stomach's on fire."

Yukiko was laying down in her room explaining to the captain, who'd somehow known to come visit her, what was wrong. Turned out after eating the candy given to her by the squad 3 captain she was feeling very ill. She couldn't understand why the candy had such an impact on her and even more surprising was that she'd passed out shortly after making it back to her own squad.

"Well, what did you eat?" Unohana started off as she began gathering a few things together.

"Nothing today," Yukiko answered gritting her teeth. "I did have a piece of candy from the squad 3 captain yesterday though."

"Ah, I see," Unohana murmured as a smile crept onto her face. "Did you eat anything else yesterday?"

"No..." she replied with an embarrassed blush. Yukiko forced herself to sit up and looked up at her. "I guess that might do it but I honestly thought the problem would stem from something I did eat, not from not eating at all."

"I understand," she murmured before walking over to her and placing a hand on her stomach. "I have a few tests I need to run before I know for certain what ails you."

Yukiko nodded her understanding and felt the captain start to pulse some of her reiatsu into the area. At first nothing changed but after a moment she could feel something beginning to shift in her stomach. It made her feel worse and she grunted as she tried to keep the contents of her stomach inside.

After this Unohana pulled her hand away and nodded. "Alright, just take this and you should be fine," she told her handing over a small vial with a blue liquid inside.

Yukiko took it and downed the liquid before laying back down. After that Captain Unohana up and left and she was able to drift off to sleep.

* * *

Outside the room, Captain Muguruma waited patiently for the squad 4 captain to exit. As soon as she came out he gave her a look that clearly asked after the well being of his squad member. "She'll be just fine," Unohana assured him. "You were right though, it was indeed his candy. I am impressed she was able to finish it off. Though after examining her bottomed out reiatsu I feel I understand why."

"So, what do you think?" he asked calmly.

"If you're asking about my decision, it hasn't been made just yet," Unohana answered glancing back at the door. "After everything I've seen and examined from her so far I have to say her abilities are quite astounding, as is her potential. However, despite her desire to keep those around her from being hurt, I cannot say with a certainty that she will never become a threat."

"Tch, I can," Kensei grumbled in mild irritation. He thought for sure she'd be able to see it. "That kid's the farthest thing from dangerous you can get."

"So far," Unohana agreed. "However, it is often times the ones that feel too much that become the greatest danger. Remember, Kensei, our laws tend to be a bit harsher than many believe necessary. There may come a time when these laws will turn her away."

Kensei shook his head. "Even if that became an issue, she's not the type to blame something or someone for any incident," he explained. "She's the kind that blames herself for everything even if she had nothing to do with it. When it came to the laws, she'd think she was the cause of the law breakage and probably try to take the person's place."

Unohana nodded slowly, taking his words into consideration. "We shall see." With that she left, returning to her own squad.

Kensei grunted after her before taking a peek into Yukiko's room and seeing her sleep peacefully. After Unohana's admittance to not knowing for sure, he was starting to worry slightly about the chances of his plan working. At the very least though, they wouldn't just simply write her off. Still, they weren't even half way yet and he only really needed to convince seven of them. He'd just have to wait and see.

* * *

Shippoman: Well those two visits seemed to be a real doosey. What was in that candy that Koizumi gave her? Unohana seems to think she may one day turn on Soul Society, but why? How will the rest of the captains react to Yukiko? Stay tuned to find out. And please remember to R&amp;R. -_~


	10. Old and New Faces

Chapter 10: Old and New Faces

The moon was still high in the sky when Yukiko woke up feeling refreshed. She had to take a moment and remember what all she'd done that would make her sleep so long and only after examining her own memories was she able to determine why she'd passed out so early.

Once she'd determined the cause of her sleeping all day, she got up quietly, changed, and made her way outside. Knowing it was too early for the cafeteria to have any food or anyone to be awake, and knowing that she wouldn't be able to return to sleep, she made her way to the training grounds to get in her morning practice.

An hour into her training, she was interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps. When she turned around, she saw her Captain walking toward her. "Shouldn't you be sleeping?" he asked in an almost scolding tone.

"Probably," she answered blushing slightly at being found out. "I couldn't sleep though, so I decided to kill some time until breakfast."

"Feeling better then?"

"Yeah, Captain Unohana really knows her stuff," Yukiko replied lightly. She looked up at her Captain and looked him over. He seemed a lot more at ease than she usually sees him. She guessed it was because Mashiro wasn't around. "So...does her coming over here mean I don't have to go to squad 4 today?"

"Nah, besides you've already been there before," he answered scratching his head. "It'd be a waste of time."

"Well...I only went over there before because I was injured," Yukiko pointed out in embarrassment. "In fact, I don't think I've seen Captain Unohana when I wasn't sick or injured."

"Well her whole job is healing people so that's not surprising," Kensei pointed out. "Just be glad you've only seen her twice."

Yukiko had to grin at this and nodded. "So then, today I'll be heading to squad 5...right?"

"Yep, you should feel alright about it," he replied as he turned and looked up at the sky. "You've already met the captain and lieutenant before after all."

"True." Yukiko finally put her sword away and went to sit on the grass before staring up at the sky as well. "You know, I was hoping to have the chance to show them how much I changed. I didn't want Captain Hirako to think I have no control and I'd rather Lieutenant Aizen didn't think I was an airhead that gets lost wherever they go."

"Aren't you?" he asked in a teasing manner. He glanced down at her and saw her attempt to glare at him. It was rather pathetic and held no real intimidation. Internally he laughed at the expression but he didn't let it show. "I'm kidding. Look as long as you show them exactly who you are now you should succeed."

This changed her expression and she smiled shyly once more. "You think so?" she asked leaning back on her hands.

"Doesn't matter," he replied simply. "You have to have the confidence that who you are is just fine, otherwise you'll go back to how you were."

Yukiko blushed at that and she pulled her knees up to her chin protectively. She had to admit he was right, but it wasn't exactly easy for her to have confidence in anything. It was certainly easier now than before but still, she felt she still needed to improve. She needed the strength to keep the people she cared about from getting hurt, especially from her own hand.

"Thanks...I'll try," she promised softly.

The pair stayed where they were silently watching the stars until she finally decided to move. Getting back on her feet she turned and looked determinedly at her captain.

"No I won't try," she corrected herself and clenched her fists. "I will gain that confidence...I will become someone strong...someone you can be proud of captain."

Kensei met her eyes at this and he could see a small amount of confidence in her words shine in her eyes, thought it was dimmed severely by the nervousness that was always there. Still, her declaration made him grin. "Good answer," he chuckled. "Well here's what you need to take with you. Once you've eaten, and I mean eaten a meal, head on out. Oh and tell Shinji I said hi."

He handed Yukiko another envelope which she took and bowed deeply trying to hide the blush that appeared at his words. They did make her feel better though. "Thank you, Captain. I will." He lifted a hand in acknowledgment of her words as he turned and left.

* * *

A couple hours after her discussion with Captain Muguruma, Yukiko had eaten, alerted her friends to where she was going next and taken off toward the squad 5 area. She was surprisingly excited about the prospect of seeing the 5th squad captain and lieutenant once more and had actually been looking forward to the encounter ever since she'd heard she was being sent to each squad.

The reason being, they were the only ones she'd met prior to her entry into the Gotei and wanted to show them just how much she'd changed. It didn't take her long to reach the right area and as soon as she did she put her map away and began searching for the two spirit energies. Once she'd located both of them, and found them near each other, she began heading in that direction.

In almost no time she found herself in front of the squad 5 barracks. She took a moment to verify that both the energies that she recognized were somewhere inside before moving to open the door. For some reason, just as she did so, one of the energies was suddenly right there and opened it first.

Looking up in surprise, she found herself face to face with the lieutenant. "Ah, Lieutenant Aizen," she mumbled in surprise forgetting for a moment what she'd prepared to say.

"Ah...Yukiko isn't it?" he asked gently. "You're not lost again are you?" He seemed a little concerned at the thought and Yukiko quickly shook her head.

"No, sir. I'm actually here to deliver something for Captain Hirako," she mumbled lightly. "I was actually just about to head inside to find him."

"I see, well why don't I show you the way," Aizen murmured gesturing for her to enter.

"Th-thank you," Yukiko stuttered feeling embarrassed by his gentle request. She followed him through the door and down the hall sensing the second energy she knew drawing closer.

"So, how have you enjoyed your squad?" Aizen asked curiously. "I have heard that Captain Muguruma can be a bit harsh on his subordinates."

"Oh no, he's been very good to me," Yukiko replied softly. "If it wasn't for him, I doubt I'd have ever gotten into the Gotei 13. But now I'm starting to feel more and more as if I truly belong here."

"I see," Aizen murmured. After a time of contemplative silence he spoke again. "Have you gained control of your Shikai yet?"

"Yes," Yukiko answered easily. "That's one of the things my captain has helped me with since I arrived. Oh, I never did get to thank you for showing me your Shikai, Lieutenant Aizen. So thanks." She bowed at this in her gratitude before smiling up at him. "It really was amazing. I kind of wish mine had as useful an ability as yours does."

"You flatter me," Aizen murmured softly reaching out and lightly patting her head. "I'm sure your Shikai is useful in its own right. And please, just call me Aizen."

Yukiko felt herself blush at this and nodded finding it impossible to reply. Shortly after this they arrived at a rather sizable enclosure at the center of the barracks. Sitting at one of the railings, relaxing, was a man with very long blond hair and wearing a captain's haori.

"Captain, you have a visitor," Aizen murmured gesturing to the girl beside him.

As he did so, the captain turned around and looked up at the young 10th seat. "Ah, you're Kensei's brat right?" he asked getting to his feet and looking her over as he towered over her.

"Y-yes sir," Yukiko stuttered. Somehow, her nervousness returned with a vengeance and she couldn't shake it. "A-and it's Yukiko."

"Right," he muttered digging a finger into his ear. "So, what've you got for me?"

Yukiko handed over the envelope and waited as he tore it open and read the contents, seemingly in a bored fashion. When he reached the end he let loose a small "tch" before crumpling up the paper and sliding it into a pocket.

"Um...and Captain Muguruma says hi," she mumbled almost imperceptibly.

At this the captain of squad 5 grinned and laughed. "He actually asked you to say that?" he asked in amusement. "Whatever. Since you came all this way why don't you show me how much you've grown since I caught you in the orchard?"

Yukiko swallowed hard at this. She'd wanted to prove that she was better than before, but suddenly having him ask her was a bit much. "Um, w-what do you suggest, sir?" she asked timidly.

"Eh, Shinji's fine," he muttered with a bored frown. "Sir makes me sound like an old man. As for what to do, why don't you and I have a short sparring match."

"Eh?!" Yukiko gasped not sure how else to respond. "I-I don't know if I really should, sir."

"Shinji...and it'll be fine," he replied pulling out his own blade and tapping it on his shoulder. "Come on, what do you say?"

"Captain, I think this is highly inappropriate," Aizen spoke up. "She's only a 10th seat. I doubt she'll be able to keep up with..."

"You do just fine sparring with Mashiro right?" Shinji cut in.

"Yes...but I..."

"Then this should be easy for you," Shinji cut her off.

Yukiko swallowed again before remembering what she'd wanted to prove in meeting this captain and nervously nodded before pulling out her own sword. She prepared herself for what was to come only to freeze in surprise moments later when something collided with the captain's face, throwing him across the grassy enclosure.

"Hey, baldy! What do you think you're doing?" the person demanded. To Yukiko's surprise, the person was wearing a squad 12 uniform and stood no taller than the captain's waistline.

"What the hell do you want, Hiyori?!" Shinji demanded. He'd sat back up holding onto his now bleeding nose. Yukiko felt a twinge of sympathy and worry for the captain but paused when Aizen placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, this sort of thing happens all the time," he told her in exasperation. "The two of them are rather old friends and tend to be a bit harsh on each other."

"Hey, who are you calling old friends, Aizen?" Hiyori demanded turning on the two spectators. Her sandy blond pigtails whipping about as she turned to face them, ignoring the downed captain. "And who's this?"

"That's Kensei's 10th seat," Shinji answered, having calmed down and somehow cleared away the blood from his nose. "I was just going to have her spar me, but since you're here why don't you do it?"

"Tch, like a 10th seat could really be any match for a lieutenant," Hiyori scoffed.

"Um, if you don't mind my asking...who are you?" Yukiko asked curiously. During the conversation she'd somehow managed to find her voice.

"I'm Hiyori Sarugake, the Lieutenant of Squad 12," the short girl answered. As she spoke, Yukiko found herself staring at the rather obvious snaggle tooth that was always visible. "And you think you can take me on?"

"Well...I have been doing a lot better," Yukiko muttered scratching the back of her head nervously. The sword in her hand hung weakly at her side as she glanced between everyone present. "But...I think I'll be able to hold my own."

"You think so?" Hiyori demanded harshly. Her voice alone made the 10th seat flinch. "Fine, let's go then!" With that the smaller soul reaper pulled her sword out and charged the larger female.

Yukiko wasn't expecting this and only managed to get her blade up at the last moment. She was able to hold the lieutenant's attack at bay and moved to the side in order to direct the remainder of the attack away from her. Then swung her blade at just the right angle to knock the lieutenant's blade into the air and sending the smaller soul reaper back a few feet.

Hiyori looked stunned at this and growled her irritation when she heard Shinji laughing. Then she charged once more.

For the next twenty minutes the two females exchanged blows back and forth without any of them getting through. The lieutenant's direct and forceful approach was really wearing down on the 10th seat who didn't have nearly as much physical strength and preferred to dodge or redirect the blows rather than just take them head on.

Eventually Hiyori got fed up with the larger girl's evasive style and pulled away before releasing her blade. "Chop Cleanly, Kubikiri Orochi," she muttered.

"It's just sparring, Hiyori," Shinji called out. He was worried the girl would continue to grow irritated and end up hurting the 10th seat, or making the other hurt her.

"I'm ending it now!" the female lieutenant declared. She shot forward again, faster than before and Yukiko dodged a few times not sure exactly what she was supposed to do.

Feeling as if the fight should definitely end before someone got hurt, Yukiko threw up a wind barrier only in front of her, just in time to deflect Hiyori's blow. Meanwhile, she calmed her own breathing, held her blade in front of her pointing downward and ran one palm along its length. "Breathe, Soyokaze," she murmured.

As soon as her own blade was released, she dropped the barrier that the lieutenant had been attempting to break and looked her over carefully. "Please, I'd rather not cause any damage," she murmured worriedly.

This only proved to anger the lieutenant even more as she attacked again, swinging her saw-like blade toward Yukiko's head. The 10th seat, however, was able to remain calm and swung one of her fan blades, lifting the lieutenant into the air and over the other side of the enclosure without cutting into her.

"Can't we just call it quits?" Yukiko requested once more. "I feel like this is just escalating out of control."

Hiyori sat up from her spot on the ground, panting from the impact and not saying a word. Yukiko took that to mean the fight was over and replaced her sword in its sheath.

"I've got to say, you've really improved," Shinji laughed walking over to the 10th seat and lightly patting her shoulder. "Well, I think we've kept you long enough. You should probably start heading back. Aizen, will you show her out?"

Yukiko nodded toward the captain and started following the squad 5 lieutenant out of the barracks. At the same time, all the unseated members that had gathered to watch the battle, dispersed and went back to whatever they'd been doing before hand.

"You're lucky you know," Shinji muttered to the small lieutenant who was still sitting on the ground. Her sword by this point had reverted back to normal and she slowly put it back in her sheath.

"What are you talking about?" Hiyori asked, though her voice was way more subdued. Apparently the encounter had really freaked her out.

"That there was Yukiko," Shinji answered easily. "She's _that_ girl. The one Kensei took in."

Hiyori looked up at him in shock and her face turned the slightest bit pale. "That was her?!" she demanded, getting her attitude back. "How the hell did she do all that? I thought she was supposed to have no control."

"Naw, she's way better than the first time I met her," Shinji answered scratching at his head. "But just so you know, had she still been lacking in control, you'd be in worse shape than you are."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"That girl, has enough power to fight on par with Mashiro," Shinji answered calmly. "And you know how little she's able to hold back. Without her control, your first attack would have landed you where you ended up at the end, but with a few cuts here and there."

Hiyori seemed to pale again as he finished up his explanation. Then without another word she just up and left. Shinji figured whatever she'd been there for hadn't been important so he didn't bother trying to call her back. Still, he was pleased she'd arrived when she did. It gave him a chance to simply observe the girl's strength without having her fight Aizen. Kensei was right, she really had improved, far more than he thought possible. Now, her only hope was to have all the rest see what he and Kensei did.

* * *

Shippoman: Things are heating up. Yukiko has seen Aizen's shikai and everyone knows what that means. At least she's almost made it halfway through the squads managing to keep herself calm even against the angry and loud Hiyori. Next she'll have to deal with the noble Kuchiki household. * spoiler * Yes everyone's favorite kuchicki will be making an appearance in the next chapter so stay tuned, and please remember to R&amp;R.


	11. Noble Gestures

Chapter 11: Noble Gestures

"Woah...this is way bigger than I thought," Yukiko murmured as she stared up at the vast building before her. She was a long way from what she was used to and felt she stuck out far too much. Her current location...sereitei's noble houses. "Why'd he have me come all the way out here again? Oh right..."

* Flashback *

"I'm ready to head out, Captain," Yukiko declared when she walked into her captain's office.

He was shuffling around some papers before looking up at her. "Right, there's been a slight change in plans today," he told her right off as he held out the envelope to her.

"You mean, I won't be visiting squad 6 today?" she asked curiously.

"Exactly."

"Uh...then which squad am I going to visit, sir?"

He smirked. "None of them." This really confused her but she knew he was going to explain so she waited. "Turns out the captain of squad 6 has taken the week off to spend time taking care of family business so he'll be at the Kuchiki villa. That's where you'll be heading."

Yukiko took a step back in shock and she tried to come up with some explanation as to why. "B-but that would be among the noble households. Someone like me, who's from the Rukongai, has no business being anywhere near there," she tried to argue hoping he'd see reason and change his mind.

"You past doesn't matter here," Kensei told her flatly. "Right now you're a 10th seat in the Gotei 13. As long as it's business regarding the 13 court guard squads you have every right to go visit." Yukiko stuttered a bit and tried once again to get him to see things from her perspective but her easily cut her off. "I told you you'd be visiting the captains of each squad, seeing the rest of the squad is usually just a bonus. But since the captain isn't with his squad you'll be going to see him directly. Now get moving, you're burning daylight."

* End Flashback *

"Why does my captain have to be so difficult sometimes," she grumbled as she scratched her head and tried to figure out how she was even going to convince them to let her in. Eventually she decided to wing it and if she couldn't get in she'd just head back and let her captain know they wouldn't allow her.

Once she had her mind firmly set on that plan, she walked up to the door but was stopped by two guards before she could reach it. Both had long poles that acted as weapons but she didn't dare consider them none threatening.

"State your business," the one to her left ordered coldly.

"Uh...I'm h-here to deliver something to C-Captain Kuchiki," she answered quickly. They weren't nearly as intimidating as some of the captains she'd met thus far, but she still didn't underestimate them.

"Give it here and we'll see he gets it," the guard to her right growled holding out his hand.

Yukiko quickly shook her head. "I can't. I was ordered by my captain to give it too him directly." She shuffled her feet nervously and waited for them to tell her to beat it.

"Who are you?" the one on the left asked finally.

"Y-Yukiko. I'm the 10th seat of squad 9," she told them. Something seemed off to her, but then again she had no idea what to expect from the nobles. What was going to happen next?

The guard on the left gestured with his head and the one on the right vanished; probably to head inside and alert the captain who'd come to call. She waited on the doorstep for another 10 minutes before the guard returned and glared at her.

"He said to meet him in the inner gardens," he grumbled in irritation. "I'm to show you the way."

Yukiko nodded in understanding before following the guard inside. She was amazed by the sheer size of the house and the richness in the architecture and decorations used. She never seen so many things that looked like they cost a fortune in her life.

In what seemed like no time she found herself at the edge of a gorgeous area covered in grass with a wooden bridge that stretched over a small stream that had carp jumping out of it, and trees dotted here and there. Yukiko quickly closed her open mouth when the guard turned back to her. "You're to wait here for him, don't touch anything and don't go anywhere," he growled menacingly before leaving her there.

Yukiko sighed in relief before wandering the garden. She walked along the cooling grass and to the top of the bridge feeling the soft breeze tickle her cheeks. There were a lot of sounds being carried on the wind today, but she couldn't identify any of them. As she stood on the bridge overlooking the stream, she caught sight of a boy, probably in his mid to late teens, practicing with a kendo stick.

Curious, she walked over to him and he paused in his training to wipe a towel across his forehead. "Hello, are you enjoying your practice?" she asked pleasantly.

He turned to face her and frowned before holding his towel out to her. "You must be new if you're asking me that," he scoffed. "Go fetch me a new one and a glass of water."

Yukiko didn't know what to think of the little brat but she wasn't about to do as he said either. She had enough people ordering her around as it was. "Go do it yourself, brat," she replied folding her arms. "I'm not your maid. I'm a member of the Gotei 13 thank you very much. Who are you?"

"I don't care who you think you are," he returned sticking the kendo stick in her face. "You'll show the proper respect for your betters."

Yukiko's frown deepened and she thought about the many times Kensei had scolded her and how he'd done it. Then taking a leaf out of his book, she brought her fist down on top of his head. "Kids shouldn't talk back to their seniors," she told him firmly. What reason did she have to be afraid of a kid after all.

Just after she did, she had three guards all pointing their sticks in her face and she went white with fear. "Do not lay a hand on young master Byakuya," one of the guards threatened.

"S-sorry," she stuttered. "I had no idea he was...wait are you a Kuchicki?"

The boy smirked at her and folded his arms in reply. "I told you not to look down on your betters," he replied cheekily.

Yukiko felt her face burn not sure what to do now that she knew he was also a noble but so not liking the attitude. "What's going on here?" a deep voice demanded as a elderly gentleman strolled across the grounds. He was wearing a fine kimono and his very presence demanded respect.

Upon his appearance the three guards turned from her and got on one knee bowing to the man. "Sir, this woman assaulted the young master," the one who spoke before explained.

"I-I'm very sorry I hit your grandson," Yukiko piped up bowing at the waist herself. "I had no idea he was part of your family when I did...I just thought he was a brat that needed a good scolding." As the last words left her lips, Yukiko felt her breath leave as well as she realized what she'd just said. Suddenly she wished she could be back at her squad being put through combat drills one after another by Kensei. At least then she'd know when she screwed up and how to fix it.

"I see. Leave us, there's no reason for your presence here," the older man ordered the guards. Reluctantly they agreed and vanished from sight. "I apologize if my grandson was less than hospitable. He has a tendency to become easily angered." He walked over and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Guests should be treated with more respect than that, Byakuya."

"Yes, grandfather," the boy acknowledged though he discreetly shot Yukiko a dirty look.

The girl sighed and apologized once more for smacking the boy on the head before pulling out the envelope. "Here you go sir, this is what I was meant to deliver."

He took it, tore it open and began reading the contents. As he read, Yukiko looked around the garden once more allowing the scenery to calm her nerves. In doing so, her attention was directed toward a sound being brought to her on the wind.

"Do we move now?"

"Not yet, that old man's a captain remember?"

"It doesn't matter. We should be able to grab the boy while keeping the old man distracted."

"What about the other soul reaper?"

"Didn't you see how she reacted to those guards appearing? She's a wimp. She'll be easy to take down."

"Enough, we move on my signal."

As the wind died down, Yukiko casually made her way to the captain's side and whispered. "I believe there will be an attempt on your grandson."

"What makes you say that?" the old man asked, pretending to scan the material now. She could sense the sudden change in his reiatsu and knew he was trying to find the threat himself.

"I can hear them," she answered easily.''

"How certain are you?"

"Um...about 90%? I'm never completely certain about anything. It makes it easier to catch my own mistakes."

"I see. If and when they appear, guard my son and don't let up until I tell you."

Yukiko nodded and seconds later the three she'd heard talking suddenly jumped from the trees, all of the shrouded in dark clothing. Somehow, even with them directly in front of her, she couldn't sense anything from them. What was going on?

Deciding to ignore them and allow the captain to take care of the threat, she shot over to Byakuya who'd returned to his practice and hadn't noticed the four men attacking him. She reached him mere moments before the others and ignored his annoyed words before activating her wind barrier, having it surround the two of them. She was just in time as she felt the four attackers slam into the barrier.

Once she was sure it was up, she took a seat in the middle and began deep breathing to keep herself calm and complete control over the barrier. She had to make sure absolutely nothing got through.

"What are you doing?" Byakuya demanded harshly. "My grandfather is out there fighting and I will not sit in here cowering. I am a Kuchiki and we don't abandon our family. Now drop this barrier!"

Yukiko didn't flinch at his words or worry about irritating a noble. Instead all she saw before her was a boy who could not fight yet and she needed to protect him. "I don't care if you're a noble or not. I was ordered by a captain to make sure you stayed safe and to not stop until he alerts me," she told him sternly, glaring at him as an adult would a misbehaving child. "You won't be able to break though yourself so you might as well relax until he had finished fending off the enemy."

With that she closed her eyes and continued to focus on the battle taking place outside her small safe haven. Occasionally she'd feel an attack reach her barrier and she'd strengthen it momentarily. Once she even noticed one trying to jump through the center so she activated her reiatsu to blow the attacker back out the way he came.

It didn't take too long for the captain to dispatch all the offenders and when she felt him tap her barrier, she dropped it and got to her feet. "I'm sorry I was unable to help, grandfather, but this one wouldn't let me out," Byakuya grumbled indignantly.

"Good, I'm pleased that Kensei's 10th seat has such a useful ability in her arsenal," he conveyed with a slight nod. He didn't smile afterwords, but she felt the slightest softening was the closest he ever got to one.

"I'm pleased I was able to help, sir," she murmured back. She couldn't help feeling rather proud of herself for being able to complete a task without any accidents.

"Take heed, Byakuya," Captain Kuchiki directed at the boy. "At the moment you are not prepared to take on any enemy, you must be willing to follow orders and calm your emotions. And keep in mind, when the day comes that you become a soul reaper, an order given by a captain takes presedence over all other responsibilities; even those given by a noble."

Byakuya seemed humbled by his grandfather's words and nodded wordlessly. After that Yukiko was given the okay to return to her own squad and she started heading for the exit. Along the way, however, she was stopped by the young Kuchiki who grudgingly stared at the ground. "Thanks," he grumbled.

Yukiko hadn't been sure she'd heard him right, but before she could ask him to repeat it, he'd disappeared having returned to his training. She couldn't help but wonder if she'd really heard a thank you come from the boy. Even so, she started to realize he wasn't so bad and actually looked forward to a time when she'd meet him again...however far off that would be.

* * *

Shippoman: Awe, Byakuya's adorable. He doesn't really know what to make of Yukiko yet though, a scaredy cat one moment and an unmovable wall the next. Still at least his grandfather seems to approve of her, at least a little bit. Coming up next we have squad 7 and bit of Yukiko's past comes back to haunt her. Stay tuned and remember to R&amp;R. :D


	12. Haunting Memories

Chapter 12: Haunting Memories

It was early when Yukiko found herself waking up. She didn't know what caused her to be roused from sleep but she didn't think it was a natural occurrence. Slowly she sat up and looked around her room trying to figure out what caused her to awaken. At first she didn't see anything, but after a moment she realized something large was beneath her covers nuzzling against her.

In her surprise, she shouted and backed away quickly as the mass began to move. Moments later the blanket fell away and she saw a mane of messy green hair sitting in her bed. "M-Mashiro, what are you doing in my bed?" she asked trying to calm herself down. She felt better knowing the thing had been her lieutenant but it didn't really fix the problem.

"Morning, Ume," Mashiro greeted rubbing her eyes. "You're always sleeping or leaving when I see you and you looked so comfy so I thought I'd try it out too."

Yukiko sighed and shook her head. "Mashiro, I don't really like having other people in my bed," she tried to explain without hurting the other soul reaper's feelings.

Mashiro puffed her cheeks out in a pout. "I do this with Kensei all the time. What's wrong with it?"

"It's really uncomfortable for me." She tried to keep from imagining the two sharing a bed and failed miserably. "I'm sorry I haven't had time lately to spar or anything but I am halfway through my visits with other squads. Once that's done we should have plenty of time."

Yukiko was afraid she'd end up having to deal with one of her lieutenant's tantrums, but to her surprise and relief, her superior jumped up, walked over to her and poked her in the forehead. "That a promise?" she demanded. Yukiko nodded not really knowing what else to do. Then the lieutenant smiled and started skipping off. "Alright then, but you can't go forgetting your promise."

"I won't," Yukiko sighed, relieved her actions had succeeded.

"Oh, and it's almost time for you to meet up with Kensei," the older girl called out before disappearing behind the door.

Yukiko groaned openly and collapsed onto her bed. She was pretty tired after the last couple of visits and would rather have continued sleeping, but she knew she needed to take care of her mission. So reluctantly she pulled herself back up, changed and made her way to the captain's office, a small part of her brain continuing to drag up the idea of the captain and lieutenant sharing a bed.

She finally managed to rid herself of the image when she reached her captain's office and went inside. Once there he gave her her orders, handed her the information she was to deliver and sent her on her way. Unfortunately, Yukiko was unable to make it through the meeting without her previous thoughts returning. In fact it came back with vengeance making looking at him impossible. Luckily he didn't address it but she was fairly certain he noticed.

Deciding she needed to get things settled quickly so she could return to her squad to spend some time sparring with her friends, she picked up her pace and made it to squad 7 in record time. Of course having it right next to squad 9 did help matters.

Now that she was away from her own squad, Yukiko was finally able to focus on the task at hand. She closed her eyes and tried to remember the layout for the squad 7 area and tried to remember where Captain Aikawa's office was located. Before she could come to any real conclusion, she ran into an unseated member of squad 7.

"Hi, could you show me to Captain Aikawa's office?" she asked respectfully. "I have something for him."

"Y-yeah," the member replied. He was young; in fact he appeared to be far too young to be a soul reaper. Then again lieutenant Hiyori had appeared just as young so she supposed age really didn't matter. "Um, it's right this way."

He seemed a bit nervous about something so Yukiko decided to just follow him as to relieve some of the tension. She even tried striking up a normal conversation but nothing really seemed to get through. Eventually she gave up, which was all well and good as they'd reached a door which he opened and directed her inside.

Yukiko noted that the room beyond the door was rather dark. No lights were on and she couldn't actually see anything. She tried to ask him if something was wrong with the lighting but he didn't respond. Shrugging off the mild feeling of nervousness, she took a deep breath and stepped inside. After all, what could possibly happen that would scare her worse than the head captain?

She soon wished she hadn't asked that question as the door closed behind her as soon as she was inside and she found the door locked, trapping her. She wasn't alone, however, as she could hear mild laughter around her. Familiar laughter...

"It's been a long time, Yukiko," one of the voices snickered. It was female and held a trace on animosity. "I never thought you'd make it out of the academy, or become a seated member for that matter."

"Yeah, what was Captain Muguruma thinking making a screw up like you a 10th seat?" a second voice scoffed. It was also female but was more condescending than hostile. "You've always been more of a threat to anyone around you. He's gotta be blind or something."

"Sierra...Korina, please don't bath mouth my captain," Yukiko softly requested. As soon as she heard the voices she realized what the situation was and why. It wasn't something she could run from, even if the door wasn't locked.

"Tch, your captain," the third grunted. This was was male, and he sounded pissed. "By all rights you shouldn't even have a captain. There's no way you were ready for graduation."

"I wasn't, but that hardly matters," Yukiko replied. She was surprised by how calm she was staying. She supposed knowing the three helped a lot. "What is it you want with me, Conner?"

"Look at you, acting as if you couldn't have a care in the world," Sierra hissed. Yukiko felt the woman take hold of her arm and force her to the floor. "You don't deserve your rank, or the responsibilities that are tied to it."

"Exactly. We've been trying to petition for your removal, but since you're in a different squad there was nothing we could do," Korina added. "Sakagi almost died and it was all your fault."

"He and Harris were in squad 4 for weeks after your screw up," Conner finished up. "What, it's not enough for you to nearly get yourself killed, you have to drag others into it too?"

"It wouldn't be the first time," Sierra spat.

Yukiko felt her nails dig into her arm as she was forced to almost lie down. "I don't see how my mistakes while in the Gotei are any of your business," she murmured forcing herself to stay calm, just like her captain and the rest of the first six seats. "I have already paid for that incident. Any further complaints you have should be brought to my captain's attention."

"That's not good enough," Conner grunted. She felt his sandal push her on her back on the floor. "You're going to pay for it, now."

Nothing else was said as the three trapped her on the floor and began their own punishment. Conner kicked her multiple times, pausing to demand she try to fight back after each one. Sierra, being the strongest Kido user of the three, began using different low level Hado to damage each limb. Finally Korina had taken a hold of Yukiko's hair, tugging it hard, and the sound of cutting filled the room.

Yukiko felt panic well up inside, such as she hadn't felt since she'd join the Gotei 13. Before her reiatsu could spike in response, she closed her eyes, recalled her lessons from Tousen and managed to slip into a meditative state. Keeping herself calm, her power under control, and above all, from allowing herself to let loose anything her antagonists were searching for.

It didn't last long, as the door to the room was forced open and the three dropped her immediately noticing the hulking figure in the doorway. Yukiko looked up and could barely see a captain's haori on the person as he inspected each person in turn. Finally he spoke, his voice filled with authority and disgust. "You three with wait for me in the barracks. If you leave for any reason you'll be considered a rouge and dealt with."

The three soul reapers swallowed hard before murmuring their understanding and vanishing from sight. The man waited until they were gone before motioning to the doorway where a mane of long blond hair poked its way into the room. "Well, is it her?" the newcomer asked gently. His voice was light, allowing Yukiko to feel at ease once more.

"Looks like it," the other grunted, leaning down so he was eye level with the 10th seat. "Get the lights, Rose."

Moments later the lights were turned on and the door was closed once more. With the change in lighting, Yukiko was finally able to make out her two rescuers. One was extremely tall, dark skinned, and had an afro and sunglasses. The other was also tall with a pointed face and long, wavy, blonde hair.

"You're Kensei's runt aren't you?" the captain asked taking a seat. "He said you were supposed to be here by now with something for me."

"Right," Yukiko murmured as she slowly and painfully got to her feet. Then she pulled out the envelope and handed it over. "I apologize if it's a bit burned, Captain Aikawa. I was unable to keep it from receiving damage."

Love opened the envelope and read the contents, despite the damage the paper had received. Then he glanced at the young soul reaper and sighed. "Rose, see if there's something you can do with her hair," Love muttered shaking his head. "Then you should take a shower and clean yourself up. I doubt you want to return to your own squad looking like that."

Yukiko flinched and ran a hand through her hair, or what was left of it. "Right," she whispered. It sounded a bit more like a whimper than anything else.

"I'll see what I can do," Rose murmured directing the girl to a chair he'd grabbed from up against the wall. Then he picked up the scissors that had been dropped on the floor and began cutting, and styling her hair.

"So, care to tell us what that was all about?" Love asked taking a seat in front of her. "And why you didn't fight back despite being stronger than them?"

Yukiko glanced off to the side to avoid looking directly at him, since she was unable to look at the floor. "It...this was their way of settling an old score...from our time at the academy," she explained slowly. "And I didn't fight back because I was afraid of hurting them."

She saw Love's eyebrow raise in skepticism. "What's this old score?"

"Back at the academy I got into a few...fights with them," she answered slowly, trying not to reveal too much. "They were always trying to find ways of getting me kicked out or have my sword taken away. I suppose part of it might have been jealousy as I obtained my shikai before them, but based on what they said today I think what brought out their anger was my near loss of my squad the first time I led a mission."

"Right, the one in the human world where you faced off against an unknown hollow," Love nodded in understanding. "But they all survived and even respect you more from what Kensei says."

"Yeah, they never once blamed me," Yukiko acknowledged.

"Why not tell them this?" Rose asked as he continued to work at her hair.

"Because it would only anger them more," she answered dejectedly. "They were upset that I had been allowed to graduate despite not having properly passed the exams and was even placed in a seated position. To tell them that their old friends that I nearly killed now respect and trust me would only serve to strengthen that hatred against me."

"Alright, then why didn't you fight back?" He held up his hand to stop her when she tried to reply and continued. "I know you said you were afraid of hurting them, but you didn't explain why."

Yukiko sighed again and took a minute to think it over. Eventually she conceded. "While at the academy I had very little control over my own power, especially my shikai," she began. "Just a twinge of fear would be enough to set off my reiatsu. I once shattered a person's ribs because they bumped into me from behind." She felt Rose pause in his work and knew she'd surprised them both. "I've cut through buildings, people, and hollows; broke ribs and other bones, or simply knocked people unconscious. I knew that they were trying to force me to react like that again so I forced myself to stay in control instead of freaking out."

"And fighting back would cause you to lose that," Love guessed.

"More than likely," Yukiko agreed.

By this point, Rose had finished his work and stepped to the side looking her over. "Well I did what I could," he murmured holding up a mirror. "Tell me what you think."

Yukiko took the mirror and nervously looked over the repaired damage. Her hair was now short, shorter than Mashiro's even. It was almost gone except for the top of her head. It almost looked like a guys hairdo, minus the fact her face was too soft.

"I'm sorry I couldn't keep it any longer," Rose murmured in apology. "They really cut certain parts much shorter than others. This is the best I could do."

"N-no it's fine," Yukiko murmured quickly giving the man a quick smile to prove it. "Thank you for the help, 3rd seat Otoribashi."

"Please, call me Rose," he requested gracefully.

"Ya did a good job considering," Love pointed out. "Now let's get you that shower so you can head back."

"Yes, thank you Captain Aikawa," Yukiko replied respectfully.

"Love's fine," he grumbled before walking toward the door.

"Okay, Love. Wait! You're not going to tell my captain what happened are you?" she asked wincing at the thought.

"Why shouldn't I?"

"Well, considering how he can be, I'd rather not have make him mad enough to try and hurt your squad members," she answered sheepishly.

"She does have a point," Rose chuckled lightly. "Perhaps it will be better to put off alerting Kensei to this particular mishap."

"Sure, whatever," Love sighed.

"Oh, and I don't know what you plan to do with the others but, please don't be too hard on them," Yukiko requested.

This time they both stared at her in confusion. "Are you asking that I go easy on the people that did all this to you?" he demanded.

"I know it's weird, but yes. Most of their anger toward me is because of my mistakes back at the academy," she replied nervously. "I feel it could have all been avoided had I simply been stronger. So, I ask that you don't punish them too drastically."

"Fine," Love sighed. "Kensei was right, you are strange."

With that the three left the small room, with Yukiko limping, and made their way toward the barracks where the young 10th seat would be able to shower and take a few minutes to recover from her ordeal. She did feel a bit better about her fight with her three past antagonists. Somehow it seemed the past animosity she'd felt from them would soon be put to rest.

Knowing this and knowing how freaked out her squad would be when she returned, she decided to spend the remainder of her time trying to figure out how she was going to calm them. She eventually came up with a plan and hoped it would be enough.

* * *

Shippoman: Ouch, Yukiko sure went through the ringer this time, but at least she had Love and Rose to help her out. Still talk about having some jealousy issues. Will Love alert Kensei anyway and if so how will the firey captain take the news? Next time see her discover this answer and have a moment of relaxation with the captain of squad 8. :D And please remember to R&amp;R.


	13. A Gentleman's Pleasure

Chapter 13: A Gentleman's Pleasure

By the time Yukiko finally made it back to her squad the sun was setting once more. She didn't mind it too much, but knew that the extra time she'd spent cleaning herself up and easing any pain from her experience would cause her fellow squad members to worry.

As expected, the moment she stepped foot into her barracks, her four friends bombarded her with questions about where she'd been, what had taken her so long, and what happened to her hair. She managed to brush their questions aside by telling them that the third seat had convinced her to change her hair style and she had mentioned wanting hair like their captain. This was the result...

Darui and Kouga laughed at this and she knew she'd fooled them, but Harris and Sakagi exchanged disbelieving glances and she ignored them before heading to bed. The pain coming from her injuries kept her asleep much longer than before and she didn't end up waking up until almost breakfast. Thanks to that she had to quickly get up, grab her food and make it to her captain's office all while dodging more questions.

By the time she made it to her captain's office she was already exhausted and just wanted to head to bed instead of taking her mission. But that would be admitting something was wrong. So instead she walked into the office, greeted her captain and waited for the envelope to be given to her so she could leave.

What she didn't expect was her captain withholding her task for a short time while staring her down. "I-is there something wrong, Captain?" she asked nervously.

"Yeah, why the hell did you try to keep me in the dark about being attacked yesterday?" he demanded.

Yukiko flinched and momentarily cursed the captain of squad 7 for breaking his promise not to tell her captain. Then she reasoned he hadn't actually promised that, and even if he had, he had no obligation to keep it. "I just didn't want to make you worried or upset," she grumbled after a time. "I apologize for lying, but I am curious how you found out."

"Love told me when I went to find out why my tenth seat had been three hours late in returning," he answered darkly. "He managed to convince me not to kill the three of them and explained everything you'd told him." He got up from his seat and approached her. She winced at his explanation and waited for some form of punishment, but nothing came. "So, that was them, huh?"

She was surprised by how calm and almost gentle his voice sounded. She nodded slowly in her surprise and looked up at him standing a foot from her. "Yes. That was them," she replied realizing he'd wanted her to speak.

"Were there any others from the academy that I should know about?" he asked.

"No," she answered looking at their feet. "It was just them. They were at the academy almost as long as me and there were times they'd pretended to try to help me. I know most of it was just jealousy over the fact I'd obtained my Shikai before them, but I really do think that at first they were trying to help."

"Not likely," Kensei grumbled turning away from her now that she'd answered. "I'm assuming the new hair is from them too?"

Yukiko's shoulders moved up to her ears and she wrapped her arms around herself protectively. "Yes."

"They're lucky Love had already taken care of their punishment," Kensei growled plopping back down into his seat. She could easily hear the threat behind those words. She'd been right in thinking he probably would have killed them. Thank you Love for taking care of them so quickly.

"So, what is my task for today?" Yukiko asked slowly. She wanted to change the subject to something a bit more productive and off what had happened to her. Plus, the silence that followed his statement had been growing extremely uncomfortable.

"Same as before," he answered handing over the envelope. "You'll be visiting squad 8 today, so you can relax. Just do me a favor and don't accept any drinks from him."

Yukiko was really confused by this but decided to go with it. "Yes sir."

After that, she turned and left hoping that the trip wouldn't be too long and that she'd be able to relax as much as he'd said she would. She could really use the relaxing time...

* * *

The grounds of the squad 8 barracks were nothing like Yukiko had expected. The central area was filled with grass and sakura trees that were in full bloom. She was in full awe of the sight and felt her mind and body relax somewhat.

As she glanced around the area, she spotted what looked like a little girl sitting beneath a tree. She had a large book pulled open in front of her showing that she was at least trying to read it. It took her a minute of trying to figure out why a little girl would be in the squad areas to figure out that she was wearing a squad uniform. Meaning she was a member as well.

Curiously, Yukiko walked over to the small child and sat down next to her. "Hello," she greeted gently. "I seem to be a bit lost. Think you can help me?"

The girl looked up at her with glasses that covered her face and brushing a bit of her dark brown hair out of her eyes. "You're not from squad 8, who are you?" Her voice was high pitched as a child's should be, but held a lot of suspicion to it.

"I'm sorry, I'm Yukiko the 10th seat from squad 9," Yukiko answered easily. The child was adorable so the older squad member felt at ease talking with her. "I'm actually trying to deliver something to Captain Shunsui. You wouldn't happen to know where he is right now would you?"

The child took a moment to think it over before shaking her head. "I don't know for sure," she murmured slowly. "But he's probably sleeping in his room or on the roof."

"Oh...well, should I just come back later then?" Yukiko asked nervously. She really didn't want to wake the captain up if she didn't have to.

Instead of answering, the little girl got to her feet and walked over to another squad member that Yukiko had only just noticed. This woman was tall, wore glasses and had a long braid stretching all the way to her waist. "Is there something you needed, Nanao?" the woman asked easily. Yukiko saw her smile at the child and felt herself smiling as well.

The child turned and pointed at Yukiko. "She's looking for the captain, Lieutenant Yadomaru," she answered softly.

"I see." The woman turned and approached the waiting soul reaper. "And what business do you have with the captain?"

Yukiko jumped to her feet and smiled at the woman who was only slightly taller than her. "I'm Yukiko, the 10th seat of squad 9 and am..."

"Right, you have something for the captain don't you," the lieutenant guessed, neatly cutting her off. "Wait here and I'll obtain him for you."

Yukiko was about to argue that it wasn't necessary but lost her chance as the lieutenant suddenly disappeared leaving her alone with the child. "Right, I guess it doesn't matter then," she muttered dropping to the ground and leaning against the tree. She felt her body trying to fall asleep as she sat there and had to mentally shake herself to keep from falling asleep.

A small sound startled her momentarily and she looked up to see the child standing above her. She seemed to be struggling to say something and Yukiko leaned forward to show she was listening. "Um...will you, read to me?" the child asked nervously.

Yukiko's surprised face quickly turned to one of understanding and nodded. The child then sat on the ground and held out the book. Yukiko took it and started reading from it out loud. As she did so, the little girl leaned her against against her chest so she could see the book while she listened.

By the time she finished reading, the little girl had fallen asleep and was lying on Yukiko's lap. The older soul reaper gently stroked her hair as she tried not to wake her and leaned against the tree once more. This squad really was a great place to go for relaxation...she'd have to remember it again for later.

As she started slipping off to sleep again, she felt the return of the Lieutenant and someone else so she quickly sat up, making sure not to bother the still sleeping child. "You're always so harsh, Lisa," the man grumbled once the two of them had landed and he'd pulled himself out of her grip.

"Captain, this is Yukiko, she's come all this way to see you," Lisa explained pinching the man. "You can't put this off."

"Alright alright," he grumbled digging a finger into his ear.

Yukiko didn't know what to make of what she was seeing. The man Lisa had referred to as captain had on a pink, flowery, kimono and a large wooden hat that was shaped almost like an umbrella. He had stubble on his chin and a rather sheepish and relaxed expression on his face.

"Ah, you're Kensei's newest," he murmured. "Huh, I thought your hair was longer...but I guess that's the result of being ganged up on. Can't stop 'em all." She'd been about to explain the hair thing when he kept going which made her a little concerned about how he knew in the first place.

"Uh, if you don't mind my asking, how did you know about the...incident yesterday?" she asked cautiously.

"Nothing ever stays secret in this place, sweetheart," he answered scratching his stubble. "And news like that travels especially fast."

"Oh," Yukiko muttered feeling herself falling a little more into depression. Just how many people around the Gotei knew about it, and did her friends find out she lied to them? She really didn't want to think about that.

"So, you've got something for me?" Captain Shunsui asked holding out his hand.

Yukiko nodded. After extracting herself from beneath the young Nanao, with Lisa's help, she pulled out the envelope and handed it over. Shunsui took it and read it over before handing it over to his Lieutenant.

"Alright, now that that's done, why don't you come with me," he suggested gesturing for Yukiko to follow him. "Lisa, could make sure little Nanao get's to her room?"

Lisa grudgingly agreed and left with the girl in tow. Meanwhile, Yukiko followed the very relaxed captain over to his office, where a cot was laid out in one end and a tray with a bottle and two cups on the other end. He took her over to the tray and sat behind it and gestured for her to sit before him.

"Um, I probably should be getting back," Yukiko mumbled lightly.

"I understand, but before that I want to have you try something," he answered pouring two glasses of a clear substance from the bottle. Then he took one of the cups and held it out to her.

Yukiko immediately remembered her captain's request and realized this was what he'd meant. "I'm sorry," she mumbled quickly holding her hands up in a rejecting manner. "My captain asked that I don't accept anything to drink from you."

Shunsui laughed at this and shook his head. "I'm sure it's fine," he told her holding the cup out farther. "And it's not like we're just going to sit here and drink. I just want you to taste it and give me your honest opinion. Mine's a bit biased I'm afraid."

"I...really shouldn't," she muttered again, looking more and more uncomfortable.

"Awe, you're going to go and hurt my feelings," Shunsui sighed dramatically. "Though I guess I can see why this would look so unappetizing to you."

Yukiko felt a wave of guilt hit her and her stomach churned as she tried to decide whether or not to take his offer. It was only the one drink...and after giving her opinion she'd be allowed to return to her own squad, which is what she really wanted. In the end she caved and nodded accepting the cup and slowly drinking down the liquid.

As she did so, she felt her head spin wildly and her cheeks started to heat up as the liquid burned all the way down her throat and into her belly making it warm. She had a single thought flit through her mind about how upset her captain would be if he found out she'd taken the drink after all, before her vision went black.

* * *

Shippoman: Yukiko's in another jam as she was talked into something else by yet another captain. This time it might cost her. What was in the drink and why'd he give it to her? Either way it looks like Kensei was right and that he's got another reason to be upset at her. Stay tuned to find out how this turns out. Please remember to R&amp;R. :D


	14. Aftermath

Chapter 14: Aftermath

The sun had just set when Kensei showed up at the Squad 8 barracks. He'd received word from the lieutenant that he needed to come and retrieve his lost member personally if he wanted her back that night. From that alone he figured out what had happened. And after his warning for her as well...

He guessed he shouldn't blame her too much, Captain Shunsui was rather tenacious and had a way with words that was very convincing if you hesitated at all. And she had obviously hesitated.

As he stepped through the grounds of the barracks and picked his way to the office, he took several deep calming breaths to avoid punching the man the moment he saw him. He quickly reached the right door and pulled it open. To his astonishment he saw that both Shunsui and Yukiko were laughing up a storm. Yukiko alone had five empty cups in front of her, her cheeks were crimson from the alcohol and she was swaying back and forth.

"I told you not to take anything from him," he growled walking over to his 10th seat and steadying her where she sat.

"Hi capchian!" she exclaimed loudly. "How'd ya get here so fas'?" Her words were exceptionally slurred and Kensei could only barely make out what she was saying.

"I didn't," he growled pulling her to her feet. "You're late in getting back. It's time to go now."

"Aw, lighten up Kensei," Shunsui laughed holding his cup out in front of himself. "You should take a load off and join us for a few drinks."

"If you weren't drunk right now I'd punch you so hard you'd frighten the Hollows in Hueco Mundo with your yelp," Kensei growled threateningly.

At this Shunsui looked at him seriously, showing he wasn't actually drunk, just a little buzzed. "You said I could test her however I chose," he explained firmly. "This was my test."

The squad 8 captain's answer made the bottom of Kensei's stomach drop. Somehow he was sure that whatever criteria this test had, she'd managed to fail it spectacularly. Shit, maybe he should have specified a few parameters instead of saying they could do whatever they wanted.

Still, it was late and he knew Yukiko had to continue her mission the next day, that and he didn't want to leave her alone anywhere when she was reeling and giggling like a four year old. He said nothing more to the squad 8 captain as he picked her up bridal style and left for home.

She was still giggling and her head lolled a bit as he moved across the top of the buildings at a high speed. He didn't stop moving or respond to any of the barely coherent things she said until he reached his own barracks. He held her tightly in his arms as he came to a stop and looked around to see if anyone else could see her in that state.

When he was certain no one was around he entered the barracks heading for her room. Along the way he was forced to pause and he ended up running into Tousen, who'd just finished a shower. "Is she alright?" the 3rd seat asked noticing the abnormal state she was in.

"She'll be fine," Kensei grumbled. He hated knowing he'd been spotted, but had to wonder if it was because Yukiko had been noticed or because he'd been seen carrying her. He went with the first one as he'd been seen carrying her before and it hadn't bothered him then. Why should it now? "She couldn't tell Shunsui no."

"Ah, I see," Tousen acknowledged in understanding.

"Tousen! Wow, yer haar looks reelly pushwah," Yukiko giggled as she threw her hands out to demonstrate what her sound effect meant. "You musta used extra curlas fer dat. It looks awesome." As she finished she held up her thumb and grinned like an idiot.

Tousen nodded accepting her words as a compliment as he understood she had no idea what she was actually saying. Kensei on the other hand groaned, bid his 3rd seat good night and continued on to her room.

Only after he was inside and had the door closed did he allow himself to pay attention to what she was saying to him. "Ooh, does dis mean I getta share a bed wit capchain?" she asked, her eyes growing wide and her cheeks turning even redder, if that was possible.

"No," he said firmly. He had no idea where she'd even come up with such a thing.

"Awe, but Mashiro says she shares a bed wit capchain alll da time," she whined. "Whas difrent?"

Kensei groaned as he helped her lay on her bed and took a step back while he looked down at her curious and almost hurt expression. "There is no bed sharing," he explained. "She just steals it, whether I'm awake or not. There's nothing between Mashiro and me." Why was he explaining any of this to a drunk squad member anyway? She wasn't going to remember this conversation and frankly it wasn't any of her business. So why did it seem to matter so much?

"Notin'?" she asked hopefully.

"Nothing," he returned. To his surprise her face lit up at this and she pulled her hands up to her cheeks and wiggled in her joy. "Why did you want to know?"

"Well..." She giggled again and looked up at him in embarrassment. "Do ya reelly wanna know?" He nodded reluctantly thinking he'd probably be better off not hearing it. "Okay...it's...a secret." She giggled again and poked his nose playfully as he'd gotten close enough that she could reach it.

At this point he was too irritated with her, so he turned and left her room. She really was such a pain. Why had she wanted know if he and Mashiro were in a relationship though? Granted he was certain his lieutenant had explained their awkward sleeping arrangements less than satisfactorily so that was probably where the question spawned. The more he thought about it though the more he was certain it was something else, and the more he thought he knew what that something else was.

He firmly shook his head ridding himself of the thoughts of the strange conversation and the feeling of the soul reaper being in his arms. Captains weren't allowed to have relationships with their squad members, though his forceful rejection of the idea was more than just duty. He just couldn't allow himself to fall into that. Those that did often ended up losing everything and he didn't want to be one of those victims.

With that in mind he returned to his own room and collapsed onto his couch trying to sleep as his lieutenant once again had control over his bed. He began to drift off to sleep with a single thought in mind, "No matter if she feels that way or not, I cannot allow myself to." With that he drifted off to the world of dreams.

* * *

Morning came faster than Yukiko would have liked. She slowly sat up on her bed as sunlight streamed into her bedroom and held her head as she groaned. Her head was pounding something fierce and she had no idea why. Realizing she was back in her own room, she asked herself how she managed to get from squad 8 to her bed.

No answers seemed to come to her so she forced herself to stand and go to her bathroom where she splashed water on her face. It was weird, she couldn't remember anything about what happened the previous night. She wracked her tired and pained brain for the answers as she showered hoping the hot water would ease the pain somehow.

Unfortunately she didn't have such luck and ended up stumbling through getting dressed. To make matters worse, the last thing she could remember was caving to Captain Shunsui's request and tasting the drink she was offered. From that alone she was sure her Captain had been involved somehow and that he was pissed she'd disregarded his request.

Feeling worried over this, but knowing she'd probably still be expected to complete the day's mission, she forced herself to leave her room and head to the cafeteria. Maybe some food would help relieve the sick feeling in her stomach.

Right away she dreaded this decision as the noise alone aggravated her headache. Still she forced herself to continue managing to collect a bit of food and sit at an empty table. It didn't stay empty for long, however, as her friends arrived and decided to join her.

"What's the matter with you?" Sakagi grunted as he dug into his food.

"My head is pounding thanks to the noise and the light," Yukiko grudgingly answered. "And my stomach feels like it wants to jump out of me through my throat."

"What'd you do last night to make you feel this shitty?" Kouga asked with a light snicker.

Harris shook his head in a scolding manner. "It isn't funny, Ume's obviously in a lot of pain."

"Do you want us to grab someone from squad 4?" Darui asked worriedly.

"No...no," she answered slowly waving off his worry. "I'm fine, really. Honestly, I can't remember what I did last night after visiting Captain Shunsui."

The four glanced at each other and Kouga started snickering again. "Ume, did you...drink anything while you were over there?" Harris asked kindly.

"Yes," she groaned. "I know Captain warned me not to, but he made it seem like he'd be miserable if I didn't. I couldn't say no."

After her response, Kouga started full on laughing which only made her head hurt worse. Sakagi silently shook his head, Darui's head drooped in disappointment, and Harris cleared his throat to keep from chuckling as well before speaking again.

"Why don't we make you something to take the edge off a little," Harris suggested.

"Edge off of what?" she grunted.

"You've got a hangover," Kouga answered trying not to keep laughing. "You must have been shit faced drunk last night to be this bad."

"But, the drink was clear...I thought it was just flavored water or something," Yukiko grumbled. The four noted she still hadn't touched any of her food.

"Yeah, that was probably Sake," Darui told her apologetically. "Maybe we should ask the captain if you can take the day off."

"It won't work," Sakagi growled. "He'll probably see it as a punishment or something like that."

"Right, she did say the captain told her not to," Kouga acknowledged. "Heh, he may even tell us not to get her anything. Say it would be something she deserved."

"Not funny, Kouga," Yukiko groaned at the thought. "If you think you can help me with this, please do. Ugh...it really hurts."

Her four friends took pity on her and Harris made up a cup of some sort of liquid that he called "Wake up Juice". Yukiko looked it over and didn't see it as anything she'd want to drink more than once, it also smelled funny. Still, anything was better than the pain she was feeling. So while holding her breath she drank down the strangely colored liquid trying to ignore the flavor but coughing anyway.

"Ugh, what was in that?" she asked feeling her stomach churn uncomfortably.

"Trust us, you don't want to know," Kouga laughed.

Yukiko concluded that he was right and decided not to ask again. Then after taking some time to calm her churning stomach, she bid them a reluctant farewell and entered her captain's office. "Morning Captain," she greeted trying to hide her discomfort.

"Enjoying the hangover?" he asked the moment she entered.

She looked up at him surprised he'd caught it so fast and could see the simmering anger that rested just beneath the surface. "Uh...not really," she told him.

"You're not going to accept anything to drink from him again are you?" he asked in an almost threatening tone.

"No sir," she said quickly. "Trust me I learned my lesson."

"Good, now get ready to head out," he told her holding out another envelope. "You've got Squad 10 to visit today."

Yukiko was about to protest but the look in his eye clearly said there would be no room for arguments. "Yes, sir." She suppressed a groan as she took it from him and started for the door.

"And Yukiko..." She paused and turned to look at him. "You may want to go talk to Tousen later and apologize for last night."

A look of horror came to her face at this. "W-what did I do?" she asked dreading the answer.

"Ask him," he answered feeling a small amount of satisfaction at her reaction. He knew it was rather petty since she couldn't remember it anyway, but it was nice getting payback for her question to him the night before. "I'm sure he'll tell you all about it."

Yukiko audibly groaned this time as she stepped out of his office. It was going to be long day...

* * *

Shippoman: Yukiko's had her first drinking experience and she plans on making it her last. The side effects and the horrible drink definitely make her never want it again. But that's not all that's bothering her...she's scared of what she said to Tousen, and knowing that Kensei knows about it she's wondering if she said anything to him. Lucky for us she's coming to a close with her gotei wide tour. She's only got four left and then the decision will be made. But it looks like things are heating up a bit on the side. Stay tuned to see where it leads...and please remember to R&amp;R.


	15. A King's Banquet

Chapter 15: A King's Banquet

Two days. Two long, insufferable days and Yukiko still wasn't back to normal. She'd already finished her visits of squads 10 and 11, both only seemed to make her feel worse despite the drink that was supposed to help "take the edge off" of her hangover. Course it didn't help that both captains had forced her into situations that only aggravated her symptoms.

The Captain of squad 10 had been cordial and inviting when she visited him. They sat and chatted for a few minutes while he asked about her views on how life in the Gotei 13 was going for herself and her squad. When they finished and he'd dismissed her, she went into the barracks only to be assaulted by the rest of the squad...sort of anyway. Everything had been pitch black and the entire way to the exit, squad members were jumping out and scaring her half to death.

Needless to say, by the time she was outside once more she was out of breath, on edge, about to hurl, and sprinting out of the squad area. The only good news was that she hadn't accidentally attacked any of them with her reiatsu. Thanks to Tousen's meditation techniques she was able to keep that under control.

The captain of Squad 11 wasn't nearly as accommodating. She'd found him lying on the ground outside before giving him his envelope. He only really glanced at what was written before pulling out his blade and forcing her into a fight. She pulled out her own sword to defend herself and he pushed her to the very edge of her abilities making her think he was trying to kill her.

After she'd revealed almost everything she'd learned, he sheathed his sword and walked away muttering about the fight being boring. Yukiko was all too happy to return home after that and went right to bed feeling her head continue to pound in sync with her now throbbing muscles.

Now, she was exhausted, sore, and in a severely bad mood. She avoided all her friends including Mashiro, who happened to be almost impossible to hide from. She even kept out of sight of the rest of the top six seats, mostly Tousen and Kensei. The last thing she wanted was a reminder of her big screw up while in squad 8.

Unfortunately avoiding her captain would only last for so long as he still needed to give her the envelope for her next visit. Squad 12. The thought of seeing the little bundle of anger that was the lieutenant did nothing for her souring mood as she quickly took the item and left without a word.

"Two to go," she thought, trying to focus on the week of sleeping in she'd try to obtain as soon as her mission was completed.

Having met the loud lieutenant once before, she wasn't too surprised when that's who met her upon her arrival at the squad 12 barracks. "What the hell are you doing here?" Hiyori demanded loudly, making Yukiko's head throb once more.

"I have to see Captain Hikifune," Yukiko answered as she suppressed a groan. "Can we do the whole you yelling at me thing for whatever reason until later? I really don't think I can take it right now."

"It doesn't matter if you can..." Hiyori began, but stopped when the door to the barracks opened and a tall thin woman exited.

She had long red hair and an enormous smile that stretched over her face. "Oh, you must me Yukiko," she greeted warmly. She obviously had a more bubbly personality than Yukiko had been led to believe. "You have something for me?"

Yukiko nodded wearily and handed over the envelope hoping she'd be allowed to go home soon. To her surprise, the captain took one look at it before handing it over to Hiyori and turning back to her visitor.

"Yukiko, why don't you come inside," Hikifune offered motioning for the younger female to follow her. "I have a fresh pot of coffee I'm sure will perk you right up."

"N-no thanks," Yukiko sighed. The last time she'd accepted a drink from a captain was the start of all her pain. "I...should probably be getting back."

"Nonsense, for today I have the authority to order you to do just about anything," she told her seriously. "I won't have to go that far though, will I?"

Yukiko felt her heart drop. Somehow she was under the impression that Shunsui could have done the same thing. He didn't have to, however, he'd managed to convince her without it. Now what? "Alright, I'll come in, but I really shouldn't have anything."

"Maybe you'll change your mind when you see it," Hikifune gushed as she wrapped an arm around Yukiko's shoulders, leading her inside.

Next thing she knew, she was in a room with a large table that was covered with food of all different sorts. The smell alone made Yukiko's mouth water despite herself. She'd already eaten that morning, but somehow the sight made her feel famished.

"Well, I think I'll have a little taste myself," Hikifune murmured softly as she took a small bite of food. "It's really delectable. Are you certain you don't want to try?"

Yukiko felt her stomach growl and despite her better judgment, she grabbed a piece of pie off one of the platters. It really was delicious and before she knew it she was eating everything she could get a hold of.

It was a couple hours later when she finished eating and the table was now completely cleared of food. "Sorry, I can't believe I finished it all off," she muttered in embarrassment. "I didn't think I was that hungry." Strangely enough, though, she felt 100 times better than she had the last few days.

"Don't worry about it, dear," Hikifune told her cheerfully. "How are you feeling now?"

"Better...what was in that stuff?" Yukiko asked getting to her feet and suppressing a burp.

"Nothing out of the ordinary," she answered with a shrug. "But now that you seem to be rejuvenated why don't we see some of your techniques I've heard Kensei talk about."

"H-he's talked about me?" Yukiko asked feeling her cheeks burn.

"Oh yes, he even gushed when it came to your unique skills," Hikifune continued.

"Pff, that bastard never gushes about anything," Hiyori grumbled. She was standing against the door frame with her arms crossed. She seemed irritated about something but somehow less so than the last time they'd met. "She means he's explained your skills before and how you've progressed."

Yukiko blushed again not sure how to take that. "H-how much has he told you?"

"Just that your reiatsu can act as a weapon on its own," Hiyori grunted. "Sort of figured that one out on my own though."

"Yeah...sorry about that," Yukiko sighed thinking about their last fight.

"Enough about that, Yukiko, I'd like to see it for myself," Hikifune cut in.

Yukiko shrugged feeling like she'd already stayed longer than expected, what would be another hour or two? Besides she felt like she could use a bit of a workout. So she followed the squad captain outside to a firing range. "So, what are we doing here?"

Hikifune just smiled as a target popped up a good 100 yards away. "I want you to hit that," she explained. Yukiko shrugged and reached for her sword. "But only with your reiatsu, from here."

"B-but, I've never been able to hit something that far away!" Yukiko exclaimed.

"Try it, I'm certain you'll be able to now," Hikifune told her in a comforting manner.

Yukiko didn't think so but she closed her eyes and drew upon her power. She was surprised to find that the power she felt was greater than she'd ever noticed before. Still she felt she could control what was there so she gathered up as much as she needed and released it. A single strip of controlled wind shot across the gap and chopped the target in half.

"I...hit it," Yukiko murmured not understanding what just happened. "I hit it! Did you see that?"

"Lucky shot," Hiyori grumbled. She couldn't believe the girl had hit it either, but then again obviously her captain knew something she didn't.

"That was truly astounding," Hikifune complimented. "I can see why Kensei is so happy to have you on his team." Yukiko blushed again though she couldn't think of anything to say. "You're free to go now. I'm sure he'll be worried that you haven't returned yet."

"T-true," she muttered brushing a strand of hair out of her face. He did after all actually go after her the last two times she'd arrived back later than expected. "Well, I'll be off then. Oh, Hiyori, how about next time I see you we have a rematch? I'd love to try sparring with you again."

She watched the smaller girl's cheeks turn pink and smiled. "W-whatever...just go," the lieutenant grumbled, hiding a pout.

Yukiko just chuckled before waving goodbye to the two leaders of squad 12 and setting off. It didn't take her long to make it back to her own squad and she was pleased to know that all her previous fatigue, pain, and just sour mood was all gone. When she made it, she immediately sought out the bubbly green haired lieutenant.

"Mashiro! Come on, let's go have a match!" she called out the moment she spotted her superior who'd been chatting with Kazaki.

Mashiro was ecstatic over the idea and raced the young member to the training grounds. Kazaki watched them go and shook his head. He was glad to see the younger member was in better spirits, though he was curious as to why. Still, it was better than having her pissed off. He shrugged his shoulders and turned away from the departing girls. They needed the time alone.

* * *

Hours later Yukiko was finally making her way to bed. She and Mashiro had sparred the entire time and had discussions over her previous visits. Reluctantly she'd brought up her drunken night and the fact that she'd said something to the third seat. She'd asked the green haired soul reaper for advice on how to address the situation and was told she should try calling him by his first name. Yukiko didn't believe it would be a good idea but didn't press the issue. After that Mashiro started saying something about Yukiko calling their captain by his name as well and she shut it down immediately. It was hard enough talking to him without worrying about whether or not to use his first name. Plus she felt it would be highly inappropriate to do so to her captain.

After their discussion they stopped at the lieutenant's room so Yukiko could drop her superior off before retiring herself. As she walked down the halls of the barracks to her own room she contemplated the things she'd talked about with her lieutenant wondering if maybe she should ask someone else. None of the other girl's advice had made any sense after all.

Then as she turned the final corner before her room, she smacked into a fairly immovable object. Looking up she realized it was the very 3rd seat she'd been talking about earlier. "Hi, Tousen," she mumbled uncomfortably.

"Hello," he greeted. She couldn't be sure but she sensed there was a level of amusement in his tone. "You seem to be doing better than the last time we spoke."

She blushed heavily and nodded. "Yeah, I've been meaning to apologize for it," she muttered scratching her head nervously. "I don't know what I said...but if it was offensive in anyway I'm sorry."

He smiled lightly at her and gently placed a hand on her head. "That's alright," he told her easily. "I could tell you were inebriated and took no offense to any of your words. It was more amusing anyway."

Yukiko blushed again and groaned lightly. "Well...I am glad I didn't offend you," she commented not sure what else to say. Then her lieutenant's words returned to her and she added, "Well have a good night, Kaname."

He paused as she turned and continued down the hallway watching her walk away before calling out to her. She reluctantly turned and nervously met his eye. "I wish you a good night as well, Yukiko," he returned before continuing on his way.

Yukiko felt her nervousness leave and smiled to herself. Her rather impolite usage of his first name was accepted and she felt pleased to know he felt they were close enough to allow her to use it. She entered her room feeling better than she had since her drunken night and quickly changed before sliding into bed. As she began to drift off, her thoughts returned to her exchange with Tousen and a part of her wondered if maybe she should try the same thing with her captain.

* * *

Shippoman: Good ol' Hikifune's buffet of rejuvenation. Sure did wonders for Yukiko's continued hangover. And isn't it great that Tousen wasn't upset at her for drunkenly laughing at his afro like curls? Or for using his first name (which in Japanese culture is really inappropriate unless given permission). Sweet. But now we're down to one last squad, and one last test. How will her visit with the gentle Ukitake go, and will she be able to convince the captains she isn't a potential threat? Stay tuned to find out...and please remember to R&amp;R. :D


	16. The Final Test

Chapter 16: The Final Test

Yukiko slept well that night, though she did wake up far too early for her taste. She was just too excited about having her last visit later that day to remain asleep. So knowing how early it was, she got up, changed, and went outside where she went through one of her old workout routines that she hadn't touched in the two weeks she'd been touring around.

By the time she finished it was time for breakfast and she went into the cafeteria having a fun half hour with her four friends before they left for their own missions, wishing her luck on hers as they left. She waited until all four of them were gone before leaving herself and making her way to her captain's office. She went through the usual routine of him telling her what was needed, giving her the envelope then sending her on her way, with impatience.

It wasn't until she was outside once more that she truly felt like she was practically finished. She had one last squad to visit and was excited to go back to normal missions. Still she was curious how the visit would go as she'd heard the captain of squad 13 was rather sickly.

It took her a good hour or two to reach the squad 13 area and she immediately began heading toward where the barracks were supposed to be, according to the map she'd managed to look over that is. Her mind was wandering to her conversations with Mashiro and Tousen the night before. She was silently pleased he'd allowed her to use his first name.

She was so caught up in her own thoughts that she hadn't even noticed she was about to step on someone lying on the ground. Her foot came down on the person, startling her back into the present and making her fall over in surprise.

"I'm sorry!" she exclaimed quickly getting back to her feet and brushing herself off before looking toward them. "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. Are you alright?"

The person she'd stepped on slowly sat up and she flinched internally seeing he had on a captain's haori. "That's quite alright," he chuckled brushing a hand through his long white hair and brushing off his shihakusho. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Yukiko was pleased to see he wasn't upset with her and his gentle expression allowed her to relax. "Yes, I actually came to see you, Captain Ukitake," she answered pulling out the envelope. "I was asked to deliver this to you by Captain Muguruma."

Ukitake took the offered envelope and smiled at her before reading the contents. Once he was finished, he folded the paper back up and got to his feet. "I assume this means you are Yukiko?" he asked gently. The girl nodded and he gestured for her to follow him. "Well why don't we head to the barracks and talk while drinking some tea."

"I don't know..." she mumbled rubbing the back of her head. "I sort of..."

"Don't worry, there won't be any negative side effects like you had with Kyouraku," he chuckled lightly. "Though if you prefer you don't have to have any."

Yukiko looked him over for a moment thinking about his request and the fact she hadn't received any warnings about him from her captain. "Alright, I guess as long as it's just tea," she finally agreed following him down the grassy hill. She couldn't remember even climbing it, though she supposed that's what she got for completely spacing out.

The walk down to the barracks and into the captain's office was rather pleasant. He was very cordial and easy going helping her feel completely relaxed. After making it to his office, he prepared a pot of tea and she graciously took a cup, adding a bit of sugar to it before taking a sip.

Once tea was served, he gave a paper to one of the lower seated members who rushed out, then Yukiko and Ukitake had a conversation about her time in the Gotei. She explained how she was doing in her squad and how much she'd learned since leaving the academy. He asked her a few things about her other visits and even how the lower seated members of her squad viewed her. The last question made her slightly depressed as she thought about the way she was viewed when she first arrived.

About the time Yukiko finished the last bit of tea, the lower seated member returned and said it was ready, whatever _it_ was. "Good," Ukitake nodded getting to his feet and putting the tea away. "Go tell Kaien to meet me on the training grounds." The member nodded before rushing off once more.

"What's going on at the training grounds?" Yukiko asked curiously.

"Will you come with me and find out?" Ukitake requested easily.

Yukiko wasn't too certain about this. Every captain she'd visited had something strange happen, even if it wasn't obvious what that strange thing was. Still, she did want to know what was going on. "Sure," she agreed, once more following the tall captain's lead.

It didn't take them long to reach the training grounds and to Yukiko's surprise she saw a series of targets set up all over the place. "Uh, what's with all the targets?" she asked in confusion.

"That's my question!"

The owner of the voice was tromping toward the pair with a mildly irritated expression on his handsome face. He was young and had dark hair that was spiked in all directions.

"Ah, Kaien, perfect timing," Ukitake greeted him.

"Yeah, so what's with the targets and who's the brat?" he asked scratching his head.

"Uh...I'm Yukiko, the 10th seat of squad 9," she murmured introducing herself. She was a little nervous about the appearance of this loud and agitated soul reaper.

"Yukiko, this is Kaien Shiba," Ukitake explained gesturing toward the younger man.

"Nice to meet you," Yukiko murmured with a smile.

"Yeah," Kaien replied looking her over carefully. He and Ukitake exchanged silent looks with each other. "So again, what's with the targets?"

"Well, as a way of getting to know Yukiko here, I thought it'd be interesting if the two of you had a small contest," he explained. "A kido competition if you will."

"K-kido?" Yukiko asked, her face going pale. "I-I think I'll pass on that."

"You want us to shoot a bunch of targets using kido?" Kaien asked raising an eyebrow. "I don't really mind but it sounds like the kid's got a problem in that department."

"Only slightly," Yukiko sighed.

"It'll be fine," Ukitake cut in brushing off their worry. "You'll both start here and try to destroy as many targets as you can. Smaller targets are one point, large targets are two. At the end there'll be one last target that's worth a hundred, if you destroy it."

"C-Captain Ukitake...I don't think I can do this," Yukiko stuttered so not okay with the idea off competing with Kido. She was always barely scraping by in kido class after all.

"You'll be fine," he assured her patting her on the shoulder. "Just do your best and if you win I have a special prize waiting for you."

"Heh, sounds like fun," Kaien chuckled as he stretched out his arms. "Let's get it started then."

Ukitake looked ecstatic over this and ushered Yukiko over to Kaien's side before lifting a small cloth into the air. "Are you ready?" he called out.

Yukiko sighed and reluctantly began chanting the words for the only kido spell she really felt adapt at. "The one who reigns, mask of flesh and blood, all things in the universe fly."

"On your mark...get set.." Ukitake continued preparing to drop the flag.

Kaien prepared to run forward and somewhere in the back of Yukiko's mind she wondered if he could perform kido without the incantation. "The one who crowns us with names, gathering of heat and war, beyond the seas in reverse, take steps to the south."

"Go!"

The moment the cloth and Ukitake's arm dropped, Yukiko shot forward, along with Kaien, and directed her attention at the nearest target. "Hado # 31, Shot of Red Fire!" Suddenly a red ball of energy formed in her hat and shot out destroying the target. She was pleased she'd been able to hit it and quickly looked around to see her opponent had already destroyed three.

Trying to ignore the feeling of discouragement, she attempted to hit the next few in her sight without saying the full incantation. Sort of as a way of keeping the same energy flowing through her and releasing multiple blasts of it.

To her surprise and relief, she was able to pull it off, though each one had less and less power behind it. Still, being able to not have to say the full thing for every hit did help. So as she moved along the course destroying targets, Kaien far out ahead of her, she'd use as many shots as she could before it dwindled to nothing then repeat the incantation and start again.

Somehow she was able to keep Kaien from getting too far ahead of her, though she suspected he was wracking up points much faster than her, and she didn't feel her energy draining too quickly either. Probably because of her big feast she'd had the day before. Then as they were both nearing the end of the course a gigantic target popped out of nowhere which was easily as big as a huge hollow.

Yukiko stopped in her tracks to stare at it. So this was the one worth 100 points. No wonder he said that would only be the case if you destroyed it. Hitting that thing wouldn't be an issue. Looking up, she found that Kaien had already started hitting it with a bunch of different kido spells putting cracks in the area he'd focused his attacks in.

Yukiko had no idea what she was going to do, but knew that simply chipping at the thing wouldn't help her. If anything she'd only make it easier for Kaien to finish. So instead of rushing in, she paused to stare at the object and think over her kido spells hoping one of them would be strong enough to utterly destroy the target before her.

Unfortunately nothing came to mind.

Then as she was watching Kaien go, she noticed that the Hado # 31 had a peculiar attribute. As it prepared to fire, it grew in size before finally flying free. That was it! That's how she was going to do it!

Yukiko took up a stance level with the center of the target, closed her eyes and began gathering as much energy to her hand as she could. "The one who reigns, mask of flesh and blood, all things in the universe fly."

As she spoke, the little ball of red began to form, her words flowing slowly allowing the energy time to gather and expand the attack.

"The one who crowns us with names, gathering of heat and war, beyond the seas in reverse, take steps to the south."

The ball continued to expand, growing larger and larger with each passing second. As it expanded, it became heavier making it more and more difficult to hold properly.

"Hado # 31," she nearly gasped holding her arm as steady as she could with the boulder sized attack trying to weigh her down. "Shot of Red Fire!"

Finally she released the attack and it zoomed forward with a speed not equivalent to its size. Yukiko collapsed to her knees as she watched it fly having completely spent herself. Then all at once it struck the target, which exploded in a firey display.

It took a few minutes for the smoke to clear, and when it did it was clear to see the target had been obliterated. Yukiko felt rather proud of herself for such a feat, even if she didn't win the competition, she'd destroyed the giant target and that was enough for her.

Once she felt good enough to move again, Yukiko returned to Captain Ukitake's side where Kaien was already standing. "Alright, well I was tallying up the points," he started and she could see that he was trying to ignore her last attack. In fact he almost seemed shaken...almost. "And with the destruction of the final target, our totals are 120 for Kaien, and 121 for Yukiko. Yukiko wins."

Yukiko's eyes widened at the results and she jumped in the air in celebration. "Awesome!" she shouted with glee. "I've never won at anything!"

"Tch, that was a lucky shot," Kaien grumbled. It was clear he was a little miffed at losing and even more so at the last display.

"You did well," Ukitake congratulated as he pulled a large lollypop out of his pocket. "Here's your reward."

Yukiko took it and felt her excitement diminish a little. After the tough and near impossible task that had been placed before her, she almost felt cheated at the reward simply being a piece of candy. "Th-thanks," she said quickly, sliding the object into her own pocket. Well, she couldn't exactly ask for a different prize; that'd be incredibly rude.

"Well that's all I have for you," he murmured gently. "You're free to return to your own squad. But feel free to stop by anytime."

"Sure thing," Yukiko laughed. It was nice having a gentle captain to leave off on. "I guess I'll see you later then, Captain Ukitake, Kaien." With that she turned, waved to the two officers, and took off for home.

"Captain...she shouldn't have been able to expand a hado like that," Kaien grumbled as soon as she was out of earshot. "You don't think she'd be able to do something similar to other kido spells do you?"

"Unfortunately I don't know," Ukitake sighed. He suddenly looked very tired and his eyes were sad as he watched her go. "However, I fear we cannot take that chance."

* * *

Shippoman: Oooh, that doesn't sound good. With both Shunsui and Ukitake sounding as if they're against her how will she be allowed to stay a soul reaper? Well it's almost time for the decision to be made whether Yukiko is prepared for it or not. Stay tuned to find out what the decision will be and how Kensei will react to it. Please remember to R&amp;R. :D

Oh one last thing, I'll be skipping next week in posting just so I have the next bit as good as I can make it. But the week after will then have two chapters posted so look forward to that.


	17. A Hard Decision

Chapter 17: A Hard Decision

Tension filled the air as Head Captain Yammamoto took his seat at the back of the meeting room in his high backed chair. Before him stood the twelve other captains of the court guard squads. The day had finally come...it was time to decide what to do about the uncontrolled power of a certain 10th seat.

Kensei stood in the lineup subconsciously fidgeting as he waited for the meeting to get underway. It had only been a couple days since Yukiko had finished her tour of the different squads and based on a few of her visits he was nervous about whether or not his plan had backfired. He was sure he could pick out at least two captains that would agree with him that she wasn't a threat, but the rest were still up in the air.

Finally, after observing each and every captain before him, Yammamoto began the meeting. "The ruling of whether or not one Yukiko is to be sent to the hive or allowed to remain in the Gotei 13 has been passed on to us. Therefore I called you all here to discuss her fate," he began, his deep voice resonating over all of them. "This meeting has been postponed long enough, to accommodate Captain Muguruma's suggestion that we all have an opportunity to meet and test her ourselves. Captain Shihoin, let's start with you."

Yoruichi nodded as she stepped forward and began by explaining all the information given to her about Yukiko regarding her days before and during her life at the academy. To Kensei's dismay, she left nothing out and already a few of the captains were looking as if they had misgivings about her.

Once that was done she put away the document containing the girl's information and continued speaking. "Based off this information I decided that my test for her would determine her endurance and possible potential," she explained. "I flared my own reiatsu around her and she didn't seem to even notice the change. Now I don't know if this means she's so weak she couldn't sense it or if her power exceeds mine to such a degree that she didn't feel threatened, but I believe that her full strength would put her at a captain's level."

"I agree with your assessment," Captain Koizumi spoke up. "I also tested her capacity utilizing my special candy. Now I know you understand that non-seated members aren't even capable of keeping the candy in their mouths for more than a few seconds before they spit it out, and those that force it pass out almost immediately. For seated members, they're able to suck on it for a few minutes up to an hour for the higher seated ones at least. Finally Captains are capable of sucking on it for a few hours. Not once have I ever had one manage to continue to suck on it until it disappeared before passing out. Yukiko managed this."

His statement caused a low rumble move throughout the room as a few of the captains started muttering their concerns over the information. Kensei felt his stomach drop slightly. He knew he should have lied about that outcome, and now it was coming back to bite him.

"Her increased strength does put a terrible strain on her body, causing her to almost always be at a weakened state," Unohana continued on. "However, this also allows for speed healing as her reiatsu acts far faster than normal when stimulated to heal. Normally one who was knocked out by Captain Koizumi's candy would be out for a couple days. She was out for less than 24 hours."

Again there was a murmur of concern rushing through the ranks. Kensei had always known the kid was powerful, far more so than she should be considering her lack of control, but that was the entire reason he wanted her to gain control. A power like that without a leash could cause far too much damage.

"Yeah, we get it, the kid's got a ton of power," Shinji cut in waving off everyone's concern. "The question here isn't really how strong she is though, it's whether or not that power is a danger for us. Whether or not she can control it. Well I can say she's got a pretty good handle on that power. After all, she got into a spur of the moment sparring match with Hiyori who just kept on her without any accidental discharge, and managed to use her reiatsu to knock her back. Had I not ended it early, she would have won that match."

"I agree that she has a far better grasp of her power now than she did in the past," Love added. "When she came to my squad she was ambushed by a few low seated members who beat her up pretty good. Before you said that her fear would cause accidental discharge...well during this entire ordeal she kept from having any retaliatory actions against them."

"The same thing happened with her visit to my squad," the captain of squad 10 piped up. "I had her in a situation where no matter where she turned she'd be hit with a jump scare and she managed to get all the way out without any accidents, though I could tell she was about to wet herself out of fear." The captain seemed a bit amused by this fact.

"She did seem to have a good grasp of her own strength," Captain Kuchiki agreed. "Kensei did a marvelous job training her. She was able to hold a barrier made entirely out of her reiatsu in place, protecting my grandson and kept the enemy from entering. My grandson later told me that he was impressed and surprised by the level of seriousness she put into the situation, refusing to allow him to move until I gave the word. She knows her place well."

"I'll agree that her level of control is impressive," Hikifune murmured softly. "But unfortunately I need to bring up the fact that everything she'd managed to accomplish up until her visit to my squad was at half to three quarters of her strength. I had her eat some of my reiatsu filled food and I felt the difference in her strength. She was even able to destroy a target 100 yards away from her only utilizing her reiatsu. It is my belief that constant training, lack of sleep, and not eating properly has led to her doing everything at a lower strength level than she should be."

Kensei blanched at that. He had no idea that the girl had been weak in comparison to how she should be...and still she was able to pull of so much. He vaguely remembered the day she'd returned from squad 12 and how energized she'd seemed. He also remembered how she did sparring against Mashiro for those few hours and had to agree. With that little boost she'd gone from holding her own to fighting completely on par.

"Tch, that kid's power is nothing," Captain Kenpachi growled out. "Fighting her was utterly boring. I don't know why any of your are fussing over it. If she ever got out of line I'd just kill her, simple as that."

The rest of the room just sort of stared at him at this. Kensei held back the words he'd wanted to throw around knowing it wouldn't help anything. If he wanted Yukiko to survive this, he needed to keep his mouth shut and allow them to see what he could.

"Admittedly I do not believe her to be too much of a threat to soul society as a whole," Ukitake cut in quieting the room. "Certainly she is unique and very powerful, however, I found that her ingenuity with how she handles her weaknesses to be most remarkable. When she visited my squad I decided to test her level of kido by having her try and win a competition against Kaien Shiba. She didn't do so well and had only managed to destroy a few targets, while Kaien was destroying the rest. What caught my interest was that she was still able to win. For the final target, she used Hado # 31, but was able to hold it in her hand long enough to increase it's size to four times what it normally is without it blowing up on her. She was then able to use it to destroy my giant target."

Yoruichi whistled at that and laughed lightly. Kensei had to agree it was impressive. Generally speaking the Hado # 31 could only be held a short amount of time making it's size stay relatively the same regardless of who fired it. The fact that Yukiko was able to increase the size of her attack was almost impossible.

"So, this girl has power equivalent or even stronger than a captains though she has not yet reached the point in her skill," Yammamoto summed up. "She has control of the power she has amassed so far and generally works at a fraction of her full power. She is also capable of manipulating kido in a way previously seen as impossible. Having heard all this information, what should her status within the Gotei be?"

Before anyone else could respond Shunsui took a step forward getting everyone's attention and making Kensei inwardly groan. He'd hoped he'd managed to avoid finding out the outcome of his test. So much for that...

"Old man Yama...I think we've been viewing all of this the wrong way," Shunsui pointed out. "We've only been looking at her strength and level of control. Based off of everything we heard I can bet almost everyone feels that she's powerful but able to control her power competently enough. The problem here isn't with her strength though, it's with her personality."

Everyone looked at the squad 8 captain with various levels of confusion and curiosity, all accept Kensei and Shinji that is. These two shared a knowing look and Kensei knew the squad 5 captain was thinking the same thing he was.

"I'm sure we can all agree she's a sweet kid that probably wouldn't hurt a fly," he continued. "Unless it was a hollow threatening those around her that is. But see that's where the problem comes into play. She's so focused on keeping people safe and happy that she's easily manipulated. It wouldn't take much for an enemy to convince her to something in an effort to help soul society only to find out afterward that she'd destroyed it."

"And there it is," Kensei thought a little disgruntled. He knew she'd been a pushover, having Mashiro force her to do just about anything the lieutenant had wanted her to do. But that was another confidence issue, that was one of the whole reasons he'd been sending her around. Sure she failed to tell Shunsui no firmly enough the first time, but he was fairly confident that after the incident she'd be able to do a better job if she had a second go around.

Unfortunately most the other captains had seen what Shunsui was suggested and seemed to be agreeing with him. Dammit.

"It's time to put it to a vote," Yammamoto cut into the low voiced discussions going around the room. Kensei, Shinji, and Love seemed to be the only ones remaining quiet. "Should the 10th seat of squad 9, Yukiko, be sent to the hive as a preventative action against her being a potential threat in the future?"

Kensei grit his teeth and waited as he glanced around the room trying to determine how the other captains would vote. Then, to his dismay, he watched as hands went into the air.

* * *

Shippoman: That's the end of the first of two chapters being posted today. Hope you enjoyed it and are feeling the pressure Kensei's under. What will the final decision be and how will Yukiko's squad take the verdict? Stick around to find out.


	18. He's Still A Man

Chapter 18: He's Still A Man

Kensei was exhausted when he strolled back into his office in squad 9. The meeting had dragged on for hours with the different Captains debating back and forth as to whether or not his 10th seat was a large enough danger to be taken away. Now it was all over, a decision had been made and the orders given would be carried out.

That is, as soon as she returned from the human world. Turns out she'd spent the entire day in the human world with her four followers. He'd given them permission to go of course, and knew they would be enjoying their time at the beach for the next couple of days. After the orders given, however, he was pretty certain he'd have to go and retrieve them the next day.

He ran a tired hand through his hair as he plopped down in his seat at his desk. He had a mound of paperwork he needed to get started on but had no desire to do any of it. The meeting had completely drained him and he was ready to call it a night.

Unfortunately, fate was not so kind as to allow him this reprieve as the door was knocked on followed by his commando unit's entrance.

"Sir, we heard a decision has been reached," Kazaki spoke immediately.

Toudo bowed respectfully before adding in, "We would like to be informed of the new status before her return."

Kensei grunted in understanding as he looked his third through sixth seats over. All of them looked concerned and nervous, and he was certain his less than happy expression put them on even more edge. Without a word, he tossed the written orders from the Head Captain to the four and they all took turns reading through it.

After a moment Eishima looked up at him with a rather grim expression. "Sir, we really should let her know what's going on," he murmured softly. "She'll find out sooner or later, and I feel it would be easier to take in if we were the ones who told her."

"It'll do her no favors to continue walking around completely unaware," Tousen agreed.

"I'll find a time and place," Kensei promised in resignation. "Until then don't breathe a word of it. The less who know about this the better."

"What about Lieutenant Kuna?" Toudo asked curiously.

"I'll let her know later tonight. She'll be coming with me to retrieve Yukiko tomorrow," Kensei explained easily. "The moment we come back tomorrow, though, everything will change, so brace yourselves."

They all nodded in understanding before turning and walking out of the room.

* * *

The next morning was a tense one for Kensei as he had to deal with Mashiro shouting and throwing a tantrum about the verdict passed. She refused to listen to anything he told her for an entire hour before she was finally able to calm down. At this point he was fed up with her and seriously contemplating just leaving her behind.

Once she was calm again, she prepared herself for the trip in record time and they were off to the human world. He had no idea what he was in for.

* * *

"Ume! Heads up!"

Kouga had just smacked a volleyball over a net he and Harris had set up in the middle of their beach, and it was headed right for her. She'd been sitting nearby digging in the sand with Darui while Sakagi sat under the only umbrella reading a book. He was completely ignoring all of them.

At the call, Darui looked up and quickly pushed her out of the way as the ball crashed into the sandcastle the two of them had been building. "Watch where you're aiming that thing!" Darui shouted indignantly. "You could have hit Ume!"

"Darui, it's fine, really," Yukiko told him, sitting up and brushing sand off of her one piece swimsuit. It was a brand new suit, one that Mashiro made her buy having heard only afterwords that Lisa from squad 8 had suggested it.

It was a newer style, one that would be seen as fairly risque in the right crowds. Her back was almost entirely exposed, the front revealed a small amount of cleavage, and the straps tied together at the back of the neck, while a small skirt hung just low enough to cover her bottom. The dark blue coloring did wonders to bring out the red of her hair and enhanced her green eyes making them almost sparkle. Needless to say, as she brushed herself off all eyes were on her, even those pretending to read.

"We're terribly sorry about that," Harris apologized. "You aren't hurt are you?"

"No, I'm fine," she assured them with a warm smile. "I was just thinking of going for a swim anyway. You guys want to join me?"

"You don't even have to ask," Kouga laughed as he rushed forward, lifted her off her feet, and tossed her into the water.

She shrieked with laughter and came up spluttering. "Hey, no fair," she exclaimed coming up for air. "No dunking."

"Alright, alright," he promised raising his hand toward the others. "Come on slowpokes. You're missing all the fun! Or does this mean I get Ume all to myself today?"

Darui's face turned red at the question and he rushed forward as well. His red trunks blowing up like a balloon as he entered the water. As soon as he noticed this he pushed down the bubbles in embarrassment.

Harris in the meantime, just shook his head knowing even if Kouga had plans of being alone with her nothing would happen. She was pretty clueless in that department. It was rather adorable really. He headed into the water as well, allowing his green shorts to get wet, knowing the material would not bubble like his friend's had.

Sakagi glanced up at the group long enough to realize Kouga had been full of it before going back to his book. He was wearing a T-shirt and brown trunks which were dry as a bone considering he'd refused to step foot into the water since they arrived. Truth be told he didn't know how to swim, but he wasn't about to let any of them figure that out.

"Hah, I thought that'd get you out here!" Kouga shouted before throwing as much water as he could at the two that just entered the water.

Yukiko quickly dove into the water to avoid his attack and moved away from them. When she surfaced, she laughed at the water fight his attack had inspired. After a little while of watching the three attack each other almost relentlessly with water, she found an opening and used her wind reiatsu to stir up enough water to send a large enough wave to cover all three of them.

Unfortunately she'd made it a little too big and ended up hitting Sakagi and their equipment as well. "Oops...sorry, Sakagi!" she shouted at him. Her face was scrunched up in sympathy as she looked at him, water logged, dripping wet, and trying to dry out his soaked book.

The other three were laughing at the poor guy saying things like "Served him right", and "That's what you get for trying to read at the beach."

Sakagi was glaring daggers at all of them until something in his peripheral caught his attention. Turning in mild irritation, he came almost face to face with his captain and he involuntarily took a step back. "Didn't think we'd see you here...Captain," he greeted with a frown unsure of how he was expected to act when soaking wet and not in his uniform.

"Don't worry about it, blondie," Mashiro giggled jumping up behind her captain. Sakagi sighed and ran a hand through his now soaking wet, blonde hair.

"I'm cutting your vacation short," Kensei responded shortly. He was ignoring the short back and forth between his Lieutenant and the other soul reaper. "It's time all of you headed back."

Sakagi nodded in understanding before quickly moving to start gathering up all their things. Meanwhile, Kensei lifted his hand and shouted at the four in the water to come in. The entire group looked mildly stunned for a moment before they began struggling to return to shore as quickly as they could.

Kensei watched as they struggled to make it through the moving water. Strangely enough, Yukiko, with her smaller frame, had an easier time of it and made it to shore first. As she stepped out of the water, the squad 9 captain was able to see her swimsuit as it hung off her neck by the straps, nearly falling off her size C breasts from the weight of the water. From there, his eyes moved down her body, taking in the gentle curves that were accentuated by the form fitting cloth. The water only made it hug her curves even more. Then finally he saw her long, toned legs that poked out from the very short skirt; the fabric of the free flowing fabric sticking to her skin with the water.

Kensei had to mentally shake himself as he realized he'd been staring, and was able to focus on her face once more by the time she reached him. "You needed something, Captain?" she asked breathlessly as soon as she reached him.

Kensei waited for the other three to make it within earshot before answering. During that time, his mind became mildly distracted by a scent that was both relaxing and familiar. It was that of plum blossoms and seemed to pervade the space he was in, fully encompassing him. He couldn't place where he'd caught it before but he quite enjoyed the relaxing affect it had on his breathing and muscles.

He was able to force himself to focus on the task at hand in time for the other three to arrive. He then cleared his throat and spoke loudly so each one of them could hear him clearly. "I'm cutting your vacation short," he started. They all immediately groaned and he ignored it. "All of you need to be back at the barracks by the end of today. Tomorrow you all have separate missions lined up so be ready for them."

"Captain, if I might ask, why are we all on separate mission?" Yukiko murmured, voicing all their concerned. They'd all expected to go back to having missions together once she'd finished with her inner squad visits.

Secretly, Kensei was proud she'd questioned his order as it proved she was gaining more confidence in herself. However, she still needed to learn when and where it was appropriate to question an order. "Because only fighting alongside the same people for every mission hinders your growth and limits who you're able to fight with," he answered easily. "So from now on you'll only have missions together in between the ones with the rest of the squad."

With that he turned on his heel and left. Behind him Mashiro waved goodbye to the five before following her captain back through the senkaimon. The five friends looked at each other for a moment feeling rather depressed at the prospect of rarely being able to go on missions together.

"Well, that was a real mood killer," Kouga grumbled moving his long hair out of his face. "Why the hell couldn't this wait until our vacation was over?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Sakagi grunted as he finished putting all their stuff back into their proper bags. "He said our vacation was getting cut short. Which means something must have happened that canceled the rest of our time."

"He's got a point," Harris sighed shaking his head. His short blue hair was now plastered to his face instead of sticking up like usual. "The only reason he himself came was because he wanted to make sure we understood there was no room for argument."

"I just wish I could have had a couple more days," Yukiko sighed before sitting back on the beach. She stared out at the water wondering if and when their next chance to come and relax would be.

"Well, then doesn't that mean we just make sure we enjoy this day while we have it?" Darui suggested.

Everyone looked up at him at this and Kouga's face split into a huge grin. "Exactly! There's no way this'll be the last time we get to do this, but it'll probably be a long time before we get another chance," he agreed eagerly. "So, we just make the rest of today so awesome that it'll last."

Harris smiled at this and nodded in agreement. "Then, what do you suggest we do next?" He turned to the girl sitting in the sand and gestured towards her. "Any ideas, Ume?"

"Well...honestly as long as it's with all of your guys, I don't care what we do," she answered sheepishly.

"Okay, then how about we bury Sakagi in the sand?" Kouga asked turning on the taller blonde.

Darui was all for it and Harris simply shrugged before joining those three on attacking the fourth. Yukiko giggled lightly as she watched them chase the taller boy around the beach. Sakagi didn't really care if he was buried or not but he wasn't going to make it easy for them, that and he was certain he had another reason for their captain coming himself. None of the others had seemed to notice, but he knew he'd caught his seemingly stoic captain staring at Yukiko in her swimsuit. Granted there were rules about captains fraternizing with their own subordinates, but seeing that look, he was forced to remember, his captain was still a man.

* * *

Shippoman: Kensei wasn't able to tell Yukiko what was going on, probably because he didn't want to have to explain it with the others there. Still, whatever the decision is, no one in squad 9 is happy about it. What'll happen to Yukiko after she returns to the squad barracks? Stay tuned to find out, and please remember to R&amp;R. ;p


	19. Power of Scent

Chapter 19: Power of Scent

"It's so pretty!" Yukiko exclaimed as she stretched. She'd just arrived on the outskirts of Rukongai District 7. It was a beautiful landscape covered in grass and surrounded by sparse trees. She spun around for a moment before meeting eyes with her captain, lieutenant, and third seat. "It's been a long time since I joined you all for a mission. I thought you said I needed practice in leading missions."

"You do," Kensei grunted. "I just wanted to see how far you've come in the field."

"Ah, I guess that makes sense," Yukiko nodded in agreement.

She missed seeing Tousen shaking his head and Mashiro giggling to herself. Kensei realized Tousen was simply waiting for him to say something, but honestly he had no intention of alerting the young 10th seat. After all, as long as she didn't screw up during the next few months there would be no reason for her to know. He paused thinking of the captain's meeting and what happened afterward.

* Flashback *

Kensei made his way out of the Head Captain's office where the meeting had just adjourned feeling his muscles ache from standing in one place for so long. He leaned over the nearest railing letting loose a relieved sigh. Things hadn't gone nearly as well as he'd planned, but the results had been close enough to what he'd wanted. Admittedly, he had Shinji and Love to thank for that. Because of their arguments, and a few choice words from Youruichi, the kid had managed to keep from being sent to the hive by the skin of her teeth.

As he stood there trying to gather himself together, he was approached from behind by someone he'd rather not have to deal with at the moment. "Doin' alright there, Kensei?" Shinji asked coming up to stand beside him. "You were cutting it kinda close in there don't you think?"

"Close doesn't exactly cover it," Kensei grunted. As much as he'd rather not discuss things with the blonde captain he also knew there'd be no getting rid of him until he'd responded properly. "I really didn't think they'd be able to come up with so many ways that runt could be a threat. They'd all but convicted her until you and Love jumped in."

"Yeah, well frankly I think they're all just bein' a bit paranoid," Shinji grumbled back. His mouth was in a deep frown, and still all his teeth were visible. "The way she is now, words are all we'd need to turn her around. That and she might be strong but her experience with using all that power is nearly zero. Everything she's got she learned from you and your unit."

"I know that, I just wish I'd had a way of showing them that bit," Kensei growled in frustration. "And until they feel there's no longer a need for it, she's gonna be followed around 24/7. I probably shouldn't send her on anything she's leading for awhile too."

"Probably not, though doing so may show them that she has what it takes to be a leader, when it calls for it anyway," Shinji agreed. "Are you going to give her a break after two straight weeks of these visits?"

"I did," Kensei replied casually. "Her and her friends spent all day goofing off, and they were supposed to have three more. They even managed to get permission to go to the human world for it."

"Seriously? What for?"

"The beach," Kensei groaned.

Shinji laughed at this and patted his friend on the back. "Well, if you're that concerned you should go with them," he pointed out. "If nothing else it'd give you the chance to let her know what she'll be doing for the next little while and give her a chance to get used to the idea. Her friends'll probably end up freaking out on you too. At least that's what it sounds like they'd do."

Kensei thought the suggestion over and shrugged. He was sure Mashiro would like the chance to relax on a beach, and frankly he could probably use the break himself. Still the idea of being on a stretch of land that was nothing but sand next to a gigantic puddle did not sound like fun to him, especially with a lieutenant like Mashiro. He'd probably end up getting buried in sand or water, whichever she decided to use.

Kensei shook the ideas out of his head before saying his goodbyes to the squad 5 captain and leaving.

* End Flashback*

Kensei shook his head. The order was a real pain, he hated knowing his squad would be under constant surveillance from the Stealth Force. He glanced around for a moment and noticed one of their members standing in a nearby tree. They were well cloaked and chances were Yukiko would never notice them, but they were still there.

"Kensei! We're going on without you!" Mashiro called out as the three lower seats were standing a ways away.

He hadn't even realized he'd spaced so much. How irritating. He picked up his pace catching up with them and they continued on. It was a rather breezy day and despite being out in the middle of nowhere Kensei was able to catch that same, calming, Plum Blossom scent. Where was it coming from? His subconscious search was ended quickly as they reached a small opening where three Huge Hollow were surrounding a poor woman who'd strayed too far from the Rukongai village.

"Mashiro, Tousen, Yukiko," Kensei grumbled looking at each one in turn before returning his gaze to the massive creatures. It appeared to him as if they were torturing the poor woman, like they were playing with their food. It pissed him off seeing the monsters playing around like that and he wanted to make sure they could never play with another soul like that again. "Make it quick."

The three nodded in response, even Mashiro seeming to take it seriously, before they launched themselves at the unsuspecting hollow. Mashiro plowed directly into one of the largest of the hollows, appearing almost like a gorilla in shape, but with an alligator shaped mask. Tousen caught the attention of the smallest one; which appeared to be a praying mantis with a snake's mask. Finally, Yukiko cut through the final one; which had the body of a lizard and the mask more akin to a knight's helmet.

Kensei watched as his squad expertly separated the three hollows and began cutting them to pieces. He vaguely noticed that the soul that had been attacked wasn't trying to run away, but once again a breeze blew the plum blossom scent his way distracting him. Where was it coming from? He knew he'd smelled it before and considering how relaxing it was for him, he wanted to know so maybe he could carry a piece of it with him when dealing with Mashiro so he didn't blow a vessel when she pissed him off.

His attention was drawn back to the battle at hand when he noticed Yukiko had just destroyed her hollow and had paused staring off in seeming shock at a spot a few yards away. It was then he noticed the woman had approached the young soul reaper and was standing directly behind her. A moment later he figured out why the woman was acting so off and he propelled himself to his 10th seat's side.

He reached her just in time to pull her away from the woman's hand, which had morphed into a blade. He looked back at the woman, watching her fully morph into another Huge Hollow with blades for hands, a humanish mask, and a centipede like body.

"Tch, so that's why so many residents have been going missing," Kensei grumbled. Somehow it seemed one of the hollows had become able to transform itself into a more human form and used it to lure away unsuspecting residents for the others to feed on. He had to wonder just how many had fallen for it.

"Thanks for the help, Captain," he heard Yukiko murmur from his grip. "You can let go of me now."

Her words made him realize he was still holding her protectively away from the hollow and he quickly released her. As he did so, another slight breeze brushed passed them and he caught the smell of plum blossoms again. That's when he realized, the only times he'd ever caught it was around his 10th seat. She was the source...

He watched her steady herself and prepare to fight the hollow before them. In doing so, he noticed a small cut in her shihakusho that was slowly turning red. She'd been hit.

"Let's finish this," she muttered, squaring off with the strange hollow.

Before she could move, however, Kensei stepped in front of her. "Do you think I'm an idiot?" he demanded harshly. Yukiko was stunned by his question unsure of how to answer it. "Did you really think I wouldn't notice when my subordinate's been injured?"

She shook her head quickly unable to say anything else as he pulled his sword out. Come to think of it, she'd never actually seen him release his sword before and had to wonder what it looked like. Her attention was shifted back to the hollow when the creature screeched with glee. "That last hit was just a taste of my power!" it declared proudly. "Just watch while I slaughter you all."

Kensei glared at the hollow and muttered lowly, "Blow it away, Tachikaze." There was a flash of light and the wind picked up considerably around them before his blade turned into a combat knife. He flicked his wrist and his air blades flew through the air slicing through the hollow dozens of times before it faded away.

Just as the hollow fully disappeared, Mashiro and Tousen appeared having defeated their own opponents. "Kensei..." Mashiro called out waving her hand all over the place. "We're all finished here!" She looked around hoping to see another hollow to fight when her eyes landed on Yukiko who's injury was still obvious. "Ume's been hurt!"

Yukiko cringed slightly as Mashiro rushed to her side and started poking at the opening in her uniform trying to get at the wound. "Mashiro, I'm fine, really!" Yukiko exclaimed trying to keep her lieutenant off.

"Ume's hurt and needs treatment," Mashiro stated firmly ignoring the poor 10th seat's protests. "I'll get her fixed up, Kensei." With that she dragged Yukiko behind a nearby tree and started pulling open her shihakusho to get at the injury to her side.

Kensei glanced at Tousen as he put his sword away and explained how the younger soul reaper had been injured while ignoring the loud sounds coming from the two girls. The sounds kept making him want to turn around to check on them but the last thing he was going to do, would be peeking at his subordinate while the top of her shihakusho was off for treatment.

To distract himself from the sounds coming from the two girls, he began trying to figure out how the hollow he'd faced had come to be and potentially, how long it had been there. By the time he was certain he'd sorted all of it out, Mashiro was finished and had come back out with Yukiko in tow.

"All done," Mashiro called out happily. "We can go now."

"We are all finished, so I guess it's probably best if we head back," Yukiko agreed. Her face was slightly pale and Kensei knew she probably wasn't doing too well thanks to blood loss.

"We'll rest for a few minutes before heading back," he responded casually. "You need to make sure you don't pass out on the way back."

Yukiko nodded silently before slowly taking a seat on the ground and leaning up against a tree trunk. It was comfortable considering, but she knew it wouldn't last long and closed her eyes to try to relax. Kensei glanced over her to make sure she was alright while Mashiro plopped down on the grass before excitedly rolling around. He shook his head at her antics amazed at how childish the lieutenant could be. He took a moment to try and relax despite knowing hollows could still be lingering around. Not like they'd be too much of a match for the top three seats in his squad, but he knew to never underestimate the damage a little surprise could do.

As he stood by, waiting for her to recover, the scent of plum blossoms reached his nose again and his muscles began to relax. He had to marvel at the power the smell seemed to hold and was amazed it'd taken him this long to realize it was even around. Now he couldn't help but notice it. Still, it was a scent that belonged to one of his subordinates and he was not about to indulge in it. He wasn't Shunsui after all...

* * *

Shippoman: Whew, it looks like Yukiko's out of trouble, for the moment at least. She's being observed but her status could change at any moment based on what they see. Poor Kensei has so much stuff to deal with. Now on top of all that he's being drawn to his subordinate, noticing her smell everywhere. How much will this small thing change their relationship? Will it change at all? Will Yukiko ever learn about what nearly happened to her? Stay tuned to find out and please remember to R&amp;R.:D


	20. Seeing Things

Shippoman: To start out, I want to give a nice big shout out to Rebecca Taylor. Thanks for reviewing for almost every chapter. Your reviews are always welcome. And thank you to all of you who review when you can, getting them just makes my day and let's me know how I'm doing. Okay, so enough of that, enjoy the chapter. :D

* * *

Chapter 20: Seeing Things

Everything swam before her eyes as Yukiko slowly opened them up after her short nap. Her side was still in pain from the wound she'd received fighting the hollows but she was feeling slightly better. Looking around herself to see what the others were doing, she spotted Mashiro lying on the ground trying to take a nap and Tousen standing nearby staring off into space.

Kensei had caught her attention, though, as he seemed to be deep in thought while leaning against a nearby tree. She assumed he was trying to solve the mystery of the strange hollow they'd come across. Imagine, a hollow that could make itself look like a normal soul. Had they not stopped it, there was no telling the amount of damage it would have done.

She watched him for a few minutes thinking about how he'd been around her for the last few days since she returned from the beach. He rarely spoke to her now unless it had to deal specifically with a mission and seemed to avoid contact with her entirely when she was alone. Instead of feeling as if he was avoiding her specifically, it seemed to her that something was bothering him and for whatever reason he only appeared comfortable when lower seated or non-seated members were present.

Even now with both Mashiro and Tousen nearby he didn't seem comfortable. She wanted to ask him about it, but something told her he wouldn't answer so easily. So, making up her mind, she slowly pushed herself to her feet and headed over to Tousen to see if he knew what it could be. As she moved, she had to concentrate on her feet to keep from stumbling and to keep her head from spinning. She really shouldn't have stood, but this problem was really bothering her.

"Hey, Kaname, can I talk to you for a moment?" she asked nervously when she approached the quiet third seat.

He shifted his head so he was facing her. "It would probably be best if you remained seated for awhile longer," he murmured softly. "Moving doesn't seem to be agreeing with you right now."

"Well, my head is still spinning a bit," she admitted slowly. "But there's something I need to ask. It's going to keep bugging me if I don't." Tousen sighed before nodding for her to continue. "I was wondering...the Captain seems as if he's got something severely weighing him down. Do you...happen to know what it is?" She paused, waiting for his answer before she tacked on, "It's not because of me...is it?"

Tousen sighed and turned fully toward her. "I do not know exactly what the reason is," he told her. "However, I do know that if it concerned you, he'd bring it up to keep anything from affecting his performance."

"You...really think so?" she asked almost hopefully. He nodded and she smiled sheepishly. "Thanks, Kaname."

Just then a light breeze rushed past as she smiled, enjoying the touch of the wind. When she looked back at Tousen, she saw what seemed to be ripples rolling over him. The ripples allowed her to see for only an instant another face in place of Tousen's though she didn't recognize it. It was the same...the same rippling effect she'd seen in the air near where her fight had taken place. She couldn't for the life of her understand what was happening or why she was seeing the ripples. What shocked her more was that while the current ones showed someone besides the dark third seat, the one before allowed her to see Aizen and Tousen simply watching.

"Yukiko, is something the matter?" Tousen asked curiously, having noticed her shocked stare.

"Uh...yeah," she muttered blushing a little. His words had brought her back to her senses and she quickly shook her head finding that the ripples had vanished. She knew her head had been spinning but seeing ripples and things that were impossible must mean she'd lost far more blood that she thought. Maybe she really shouldn't have gotten up. "I just...I was just seeing things. I think you were right about not moving. I think standing only made me worse."

Tousen nodded and gently assisted her in sitting back down, leaning against another tree trunk. "You really should pay attention to your body more and not push yourself," he murmured calmly. "You'll end up worrying myself, Mashiro, and the captain unnecessarily."

"R-right," Yukiko muttered nervously. She felt her eyelids droop again as she sat and knew it was her body's way of telling her she needed more sleep. "Thanks. I-I'll be fine now. Really."

Tousen nodded once more before straightening back up and strolling over to his captain. As he walked away, Yukiko's eyes drifted close and she fell asleep once more.

Just as the third seat reached his captain, the larger man turned his gaze toward him curiously. "Is something wrong?" he asked calmly.

"I believe we should move on," Tousen murmured as he glanced back at the tenth seat. "I am worried that Yukiko will not be able to recover properly out here."

Kensei grunted in acknowledgment before pushing himself to his feet and moving closer to the sleeping soul reaper. She was still pale but a little color had returned to her cheeks making her almost appear to be blushing. Her breathing was even as she slept and he took note of the bandage peeking out from the hole in her shihakusho.

Knowing he had a lot of other work that needed his attention spurred him into shaking her shoulder to wake her up. They didn't have the time to waste waiting around until she could move properly again. "Yukiko," he muttered as her eyes slowly fluttered open. "We need to start heading back. Think you can walk?"

She simply nodded in answer and forced herself to return to her feet. Kensei didn't like the way she was swaying just standing there, and the moment she moved her face seemed to lose the color it had gained. Deciding it would be safer, faster, and easier, he quickly picked her up bridal style and began heading back to the barracks.

"Mashiro!" he called out, causing the lieutenant to shift in her sleep and sit up with leaves and grass in her green hair. "We're heading back! You'd better get your ass moving or I'm leaving you behind!"

"Kensei meanie!" Mashiro shouted back, but she caught up to them pretty quickly. "Ooh, can I get a piggy back ride?"

"No," Kensei grunted in irritation.

"Awe, but you're carrying, Ume!" Mashiro whined. "It's not fair." She suddenly got an impish look on her face as an idea struck her. "Ooh, I get it. You just want Ume all to yourself. You're so naughty, Kensei."

Kensei shook his head ignoring her comment. It really was amazing how calm he could be when he was breathing in Yukiko's plum blossom scent. Normally he would have bitten his lieutenant's head off for insinuating what she did. But somehow, it just didn't matter at the moment. He glanced down at the girl in his arms and could see that despite the light struggles she'd given him at first she was back asleep, her head leaning against his chest.

It wasn't the first time he'd carried her and somehow he knew it wouldn't be the last time either. She was very light in his arms and he noted that his fingers were able to feel the slender build she had, that he'd seen when she was wearing her swimsuit. Somehow, that thought, and the memory of the suggestion his lieutenant had just made came together and nearly made him drop her.

Instead he mentally shook himself, determinedly pushing those thoughts to the very back of his mind. Once that was done, he motioned to the other two to follow him and he picked up his pace making it back to the barracks in record time where he deposited Yukiko in her room for recovery before attempting to return to his office and finish his mountain of paperwork.

Before he could leave though, Yukiko seemed to wake up and caught the hem of his haori. "Captain, I'm sorry I was hurt on the mission," she expressed through her drowsiness. "My injury forced you to carry me back and everything. Had we been attacked again I would have been a serious burden on all of you."

"It was fine," he muttered darkly. "With the three of us it wouldn't have been an issue."

"I see..."

"What distracted you?"

Yukiko looked up at him with confusion in her eyes and he groaned in irritation. "Before you were hit you were staring at something that distracted you enough to where you didn't notice the thing right behind you," he clarified. "What was it?"

"Oh...nothing," Yukiko muttered, her eyes drifting close yet again.

"Don't give me that shit," he grumbled bending down again so he could get her to look at him. "Now what was it?"

Yukiko took a few moments to try and clear her head so she could think of his question and give a good answer. "I was just seeing things," she muttered. "For an instant...I thought I saw Aizen and Tousen standing there watching us...but that's impossible because you would have noticed Aizen and Tousen was busy fighting another hollow."

"Then why'd you see them?" he asked wanting her assessment before he'd ask Unohana to find out.

"I think I was just tired."

"You've been having more of those late night training sessions haven't you," Kensei accused. Yukiko nodded lightly and he sighed again. "No more of those from now on, got it? You need your sleep."

The young tenth seat looked as if she was going to argue the point but closed her mouth and just nodded instead. She knew he was right especially since she'd been spending more and more hours training at night instead of sleeping. Still, she was trying to get stronger and knowing that she'd be unable to at a time where most members were asleep and be unable to watch her was slightly depressing.

"Good, now get some rest," Kensei told her getting back to his feet. "If you so much as move from this spot before you're physically able I'll tie you to a bed in squad 4."

Yukiko chuckled lightly at this believing he would definitely follow up on that threat so she nodded again before drifting off with a smile on her face.

* * *

"It appears that girl has one more mystery to solve," Aizen mused as he sat in a room filled with monitors. Beside him stood the dark third seat of squad 9 and another man who was wearing the fifth squad uniform and had short brown hair that covered barely any of his head thanks to his severe receding hairline. "You're certain she was able to see you, Yamato?"

"Yes, Lord Aizen," the man replied with a light bow. "We were speaking after the battle when her eyes went wide and she was staring at me in shock. It only lasted for a moment, however, so I believe the effect was temporary. She believes she was merely seeing things."

"I see...then I suspect she was able to see the two of us as well, Kaname," Aizen replied turning to the monitors before him. "Which means that even if she does not know how, she is capable of seeing through my complete hypnosis. Until now, no one, not even the Head Captain has been able to see through it. I'm intrigued to learn how this is possible."

"Should I test her to find out?" Tousen asked curiously. He too wanted to know for sure what allowed the young 10th seat to see through such a complete ability.

"That won't be necessary," Aizen replied, smiling darkly. "I have a plan to have her reveal the reason on her own, though implementing it will take time. Yamato, until I have been able to fully determine the reason behind this you will need to be careful when around her. She is slowly gaining confidence in herself and I believe that if she notices it too much she'll eventually determine that what she is seeing is real and attempt to report it to her Captain. You must not allow her to grow too confident in herself."

"Yes sir," the balding man muttered before turning and leaving the room.

Once he was gone, Tousen stepped up beside Aizen and murmured a question that was bothering him. "Aizen, if she is really capable of seeing through your hypnosis then she presents an extreme danger to our plans. What do you plan on doing about her if this is discovered to be the case?"

"Simply put, we'll need to ensure that she never discovers this ability of hers," Aizen answered darkly. "If she begins to become too close to the truth, then I'll simply have to present to her a special offer. If she refuses, then she must disappear...for good."

* * *

Shippoman: After all the effort that went in to getting her out of trouble, Yukiko goes and lands herself in another pile of it. Unfortunately she still has no idea what all she is capable of. But at least Kensei is taking such good care of her. Poor thing, with Yukiko's amazing scent and Mashiro's brazen comments he'll really have to watch himself. Stay tuned to see how the good and the bad continue to progress. :D And please remember to R&amp;R.


	21. New Assignment

Shippoman: So, this chapter came out a lot longer than I originally intended but I went with it anyway. Sorry for the extra long chapter in advance, but I hope you enjoy the slight change in pace here. Let me know if you prefer it being this long or if I should strive to keep it as short as I normally do. Thanks. :D

So, while trying to post this chapter the internet kept going screwy on me so if there are any grammatical or spelling errors I apologize. By the third attempt I just sort of skimmed it not wanting to read through it just for that purpose. Enjoy. _

* * *

Chapter 21: New Assignment

A week and a half of various missions with different members passed and Yukiko felt the worry about the ripples disappearing. She hadn't seen them since her mission with the transforming hollow and decided it was from fatigue. Since there were no reoccurring sightings, she pushed it to the back of her mind and continued to improve herself.

Most of the missions she went on consisted of her playing support to the higher seated officers, but there were one or two that she was allowed to take her four friends with her. These, were her favorites. She really missed having all her missions with them and they expressed feeling the same way. To her credit, she never let it show in front of her captain or anyone else how much she wanted them back.

Fortunately, as the second week was coming to a close, she found herself on another type of mission that would take all her attention.

It was 7 AM when she found herself standing in her captain's office. Standing next to her was the 6th seat, Toudou. Right away she knew her day's mission would probably be with the stoic officer and she held back her disappointment.

"We've gotten a call from Squad 8," Kensei grumbled. It was clear he was very agitated over this one. "Shunsui claims it's an emergency...fucking stupid."

"Uh...if you don't mind my asking...what is it, sir?" Yukiko asked. She didn't usually see him angry over a mission request, but after meeting the eccentric 8th squad captain, she thought it was probably well deserved.

"He loses a bottle of sake and immediately assumes it's been stolen," Kensei retorted irately. "Knowing him he either misplaced it, or Lisa just moved it so he'd actually do some work."

Yukiko sighed, sweating a little as she realized, he was probably right. "Does this mean our mission is to find his sake?" she asked curiously.

"Yeah. Don't forget we're technically sereitei's police force," Kensei grumbled. "Which means we have to respond to any claims like this. No matter how full of shit I think it is."

Yukiko had a moment of remembering the men dressed all in blue with the tall hats that walked around with badges on she'd seen in the human world. The idea that squad 9 was soul society's version of this made her giggle internally. It was rather amusing to imagine the members dressed in the funny outfits.

To her surprise, Kensei got to his feet, grabbed up the file filled with the missing sake's information and began leading the way out his door. Looked like he was joining them for the mission.

The three started heading toward squad 8 with Yukiko feeling rather lost on what would be expected of her. She'd never been involved with an investigation before and she was a little concerned about what would happen if she was required to question a higher seated officer? Deciding that she'd better find out before they arrived she glanced up at her captain and braced herself for how he'd respond.

"Captain...I know we're supposed to find Captain Shunsui's lost bottle of sake...but how are we supposed to go about that?" she asked nervously. Kensei glanced down at her and she was certain he was irritated by her question. "I mean, we're not going to just search the entire squad are we?"

"Course not," Kensei grumbled. Truthfully he was still irritated by the request, but the fact she'd had the courage to ask did make up for how stupid the question sounded. "All investigations start by asking the client what they know. Then we take time to question all who are involved. From there we put all the information together and make theories that we then prove."

"Like learning about a hollow before engaging in battle," Toudou added.

"I see...but what if there's a higher seated officer who doesn't want to answer my questions?" she asked getting to the heart of her worry.

"Doesn't matter," Kensei grunted. "When in the middle of an investigation we've got seniority over everyone, regardless of what our actual position is. Even a Captain has to submit themselves to questioning if it's required."

"Huh...alright," Yukiko murmured in understanding. It made her feel better to know that even as a tenth seat she'd have to be listened to.

Kensei was pleased to note that the nervousness she'd been displaying seemed to dissipate after his explanation. It hadn't occurred to him before, but she might just do a lot better in investigations than in fighting hollows. After all, she was always worried about people getting hurt, which often got herself into trouble.

He mentally shook himself out of his musings as the three continued on. He had to focus on their current mission, no matter how pathetic he thought it was.

It didn't take them too long to reach squad 8 as it was directly across the way. When they did, they were immediately directed into the captain's office. They were all internally groaning when they walked in, as Captain Shunsui was slumped over his desk, apparently taking a nap.

"Oy, Shunsui, get up or we're leaving," Kensei growled, a tick appearing on his forehead.

His shout didn't seem to do anything as the 8th squad captain continued snoozing. Then, out of nowhere, Lisa dropped in behind her captain and kicked him across the room, slamming upside down against the far wall. "I'm sorry about my lazy Captain," she humphed looking over at her captain as he gingerly picked himself up. "He's completely useless sometimes."

"Ah, that was a bit harsh, don't you think, Lisa?" Shunsui groaned as he righted himself and got to his feet. "I would have been satisfied with your gentle voice coaxing me awake."

"We both know if I did that you'd never wake up," Lisa replied irately. "Now, didn't you have a reason for calling squad 9 out here?"

"Wow, I forgot how strange these two were," Yukiko thought, sweatdropping slightly at the seemingly dark cloud that now hung over the room.

"So cold," Shunsui sighed before heading back to his desk. "Oh, and thanks for coming, Kensei."

"Just tell me why you think your sake was stolen so I get get on with my job, and quit wasting my time!"

"Right, right. I was just ending a little break of mine and put my favorite bottle of sake back in with my secret stash when Lisa found me and convinced me to finish my paperwork for the day," Shunsui started off.

"More like I dragged him out of his bedroom and kicked him until he agreed to finish," Lisa cut in.

"Right, but by the time I got back, my stash was cleared out," Shunsui finished up.

"So, where'd you hide it this time Lisa?" Kensei asked rubbing his forehead. A part of him hoped she really had so he could call this one done and over with and get back to the important stuff.

"You know that doesn't work," Lisa sniffed. "No matter where I hide it he always manages to find it so I quit. I decided the direct approach works much better."

"Wow, Lisa is really scary when she wants to be," Yukiko thought sweating a little more. While the two captains continued to converse, she caught sight of a little face peeking in through the door. Realizing who it was, she silently went over and knelt down. "Hey, did you happen to see anything Nanao?" she asked gently.

The little girl shuffled her feet nervously but didn't say anything. Instead, she kept glancing over at her captain before returning her gaze to the floor. To Yukiko, she appeared to be a child who'd done something wrong and didn't want to get in trouble for it.

"Don't worry," Yukiko murmured in a comforting manner. "I doubt you did anything that would land you in trouble." The girl still didn't say anything. "Tell you what, I promise not to repeat what you tell me to your captain. Deal?"

At this, the girl lifted her head and stared at her through her large glasses. "O-okay," she stuttered. "I...I fell asleep in here, waiting for Lisa to come read me to sleep. But she didn't show up. Instead...I saw two guys come in and take...the bottle from his desk."

Yukiko smiled at this and realized the girl was probably scared that she'd be counted as a suspect since she obviously hadn't tried to stop them. "Can you tell me who they were?" she asked.

Nanao nodded and took her time telling the young 10th seat the names, positions, and a full description of the two she'd spotted. Once that was done, Yukiko thanked the girl and gently sent her off before turning to face her comrades.

By this point, Kensei had finished talking to the squad 8 captain and his lieutenant, and had turned to address her and Toudou once more. "Alright, so assuming it was taken by someone we'll just have to conduct a few interviews," he growled running a hand through his hair. "Yukiko, focus on interviewing the none seated members. Toudou, you take the seat below tenth seat and I'll take the higher seats."

They both nodded and all three left the room. Once she was outside and her captain and 6th seat had left, Yukiko sorted through what she'd been told and debated on whether or not she should have relayed what she'd been told to her captain. Then, she decided that if she took care of it herself, he wouldn't have to deal with the irritating prospect of talking to the sake thieves.

So, making up her mind, Yukiko strolled out into the squad and paused with her eyes closed simply listening to the voices that were carried on the wind. After all, what better way to locate the thieves than listening to them talk about their work.

After a few minutes of just standing around and listening, she finally caught the sound of two men; catching only a few key words that told her they were probably who she was looking for. They sounded close, so she followed the voices to the right area where she was able to hear more clearly what they were discussing.

"Tch, can't believe the captain called in squad 9 over this," one grumbled in irritation. "I mean, seriously, it was just one bottle of sake! It's not like he can't get any more."

"I know, but you know how the captain gets with his booze," the second answered with a sigh. "Maybe we really shouldn't have risked it. I mean sure it'll be nice to have for the party tonight, but is it really worth dealing with Captain Muguruma? That guy's terrifying. I can't see how anyone in his squad can deal with him when he gets upset."

"That's an easy one, they just send in their lieutenant," the first replied scoffing. "I hear she's pretty hot, but a little dense. Chances are the other members either get him to direct all his anger at her, or shove her into the fray so he'll just do her and forget what he was angry about."

The two laughed over their theories and Yukiko felt her fists clench in anger. How could they talk about her captain and lieutenant like that? They didn't know anything about Mashiro or Captain Muguruma. She hated it when people made assumptions about people without getting to know them first. After all, that's exactly what had happened to her at the academy.

The sound of the two men moving away from her drew her attention back to the present and Yukiko shook her head to get back into the swing of things. It was clear these two were the perpetrators, but to avoid being a hypocrite she wanted to give them the chance to redeem themselves without taking them before her captain. So, taking a deep breath and trying to steel her nerves, she turned the corner she'd been hiding behind and approached the two with a rather nervous air about her.

"E-excuse me!" she squeaked stepping toward them. "You're the fifth and seventh seats aren't you?"

"Yeah," the first answered as the two turned to face her. He was easily seven feet tall and built like a gorilla, with short, spikey black hair and dark eyes. He looked her over with a discerning eye before speaking again. "You from squad 9?"

"Yeah," she answered sheepishly rubbing the back of her head. "This is my first investigation so I'm a little unsure of what I'm supposed to be doing."

"Oh, is that right?" the second one asked, sharing a glance with his companion. He was a foot shorter than the man beside him but was built well. She could see signs of powerful muscles beneath his uniform, though they were much smaller than the fifth seat. His wavy brown hair was combed gently to the side, a small amount dipping over his chocolate brown eyes. "Well, how can we be of help to such a cute little thing?" He looked her up and down and a little interest showed in his features.

"Well, I'm supposed to ask a few questions to everyone," she answered digging her toe into the ground nervously. "I-it'd be great if you'd answer them."

"Sure thing," the first murmured. The smile he gave her didn't quite reach his eyes and Yukiko almost shivered. "I'm Gantu, the fifth seat. Feel free to ask me anything."

"Yeah, I'm Hanzo Kizumi," the second introduced with a short bow. "What do you wish to know?"

Yukiko stuttered a bit as she looked between them before shaking her head and taking a deep breath. "Well, I guess I should start with what did you do last night?"

"You're going to need to be more specific than that," Hanzo pointed out teasingly.

"Uh...at nine," she spluttered. "I-I mean between nine and ten."

"We were on patrol until 10:30," Gantu grunted.

"I-I see...then, have you seen anyone acting strangely last night or this morning?" she asked hopefully.

"This is squad 8," Hanzo chuckled. "We're filled with strange characters. Our captain included."

"I-I guess that's true," Yukiko groaned. "Then, how about...do you know anyone who'd want to take sake from your captain?"

"Is that what's missing?" Gantu laughed. "Tch, no wonder he's freakin out. You'd have to be a complete moron to steal booze from our captain."

"What he means is no," Hanzo substituted. "I doubt there's anyone in our squad who doesn't know about the bond the captain has with his vice nor would they risk his wrath by taking it from him."

"I see..."

"On a brighter note, we're having a party tonight. Would be willing to attend?" Hanzo asked taking her hand and making her blush. "It's mostly for squad 8 members, but I doubt anyone would mind having such a cutie making an appearance."

"I-I don't know about that," she stuttered trying to pull away and failing miserably. "I'd...I'd have to run it by my captain first."

"Heh, seriously? What's your rank?" Gantu asked leaning toward her.

"I-I'm the 10th seat," she squeaked.

The two shared a look, having a silent conversation about if she was the one they'd heard about and how the rumors had to be exaggerated. "As a 10th seat you should be able to go where you please off hours."

"Right, and besides, your captain could probably use a break from making mundane decisions," Hanzo added. "After all, what he doesn't know won't hurt him, right?"

"Y-Yeah, I guess so," Yukiko muttered.

"Great, then unless you needed something else we'll see you at the party," Hanzo stated turning away from her.

"What's your name?" Gantu asked. He'd realized that neither of them even knew what to call her if she did end up showing up. Gullible brat that she was.

"Yukiko," she answered shyly.

"Alright. We'll see you tonight, Yukiko," Hanzo called out. "Good luck with that sake thief."

With that, the two marched off. As soon as they were out of sight, the confused and shy smile on her face melted away and she sighed. Somehow, she really wished they'd had the forethought to just admit they made a mistake and move on. Too bad, now she'd have to take a different approach...a more direct one.

Masking her reiatsu, she followed the two around the area until they reached one of their rooms and went inside. From her vantage point, and utilizing her wind to pull their voices toward her, she was able to hear them talking more about the sake bottle they'd swiped and how lucky they'd been to run across a novice instead of her captain; who they bashed one more.

Getting fed up with the pair of them, and knowing they were about to leave, she landed on the ground near their exit and waited. When the pair came out, they froze seeing her standing right there with a frown on her face and felt a shiver run down both their spines.

"I was giving you the opportunity to admit your guilt on your own and was even willing to let you crime slide as long as you returned what you took," she stated calmly causing both soul reapers gawk in surprise by how differently she was speaking now. "So now, I will ask that you return the bottle of sake and apologize to Captain Shunsui."

"Heh, you really think you'll intimidate us into doing as you say?" Hanzo hissed spitefully.

"We're both higher ranked seats than you," Gantu pointed out. "So do yourself a favor and leave while pretending you didn't see anything." He flexed the overly large muscles in his hand and added in a threatening. "We're both excellent at Kido...don't make us use it kid."

Yukiko sighed and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Regardless of your status, as a member of the squad 9 investigation team, I have seniority here," she declared without a hint of fear. "Now you will return the sake, or I will remove it from your possession."

The two soul reapers glanced at each other before beginning to mutter two different spells beneath their breath. Hearing this, Yukiko simply increased the output of her reiatsu and had her wind slam into the two of them and trap them against the nearest wall. They both struggled but nothing they did made any difference and Yukiko stepped into the room, located a small safe, forced it open, and pulled out the fragile bottle of alcohol.

At this point, she heard a few people arrive and the two soul reapers that had attempted to attack her shouted at their captain to free them from her hold. Feeling rather pleased with herself, Yukiko stepped out of the room and released the soul reapers allowing them to collapse to the ground in pain. "Captain Shunsui," she greeted, noticing the squad 8 captain. "I have located your missing bottle of sake." She held it out to him and he gratefully took it, rubbing his cheek against the surface.

"Thank you for locating it," he sighed in satisfaction. "I have to ask. Why did you have my men pinned to a wall?"

Yukiko glanced at Kensei who was also looking at her curiously, though it was clear that his earlier irritation was gone now. "Well, sir, to start with they are the ones who took your sake in the first place," she explained lightly. "When I confronted them with the information they refused to return it and attempted to convince me to turn around and walk away, utilizing a threat of kido if I refused. When I told them no, they started muttering the spells for powerful bakudo and I simply trapped them using my reiatsu."

"So they attempted to attack you?" Shunsui asked looking his men over. Although they did not confirm this, they could not deny it either and even avoided meeting his eye. "Well I apologize for the lack of cooperation from my squad. You did well locating it so quickly. Thank you."

Yukiko gave a light bow in response and moved to stand next to her captain. "If that's everything, Shunsui, we'll be heading out then," Kensei called out. He received a wave in acknowledgment and led his two subordinates back home. Along the way he looked down at the young girl beside him in curiosity. "How'd you figure out it was them?"

"Well, to start with Nanao mentioned seeing them leave the office," Yukiko began easily. "She asked me not to tell her captain which is why I didn't say anything before hand. Then, while searching for them, I heard their voices carried on the wind talking about the sake. I gave them the opportunity to admit it themselves by playing the confused, clueless girl but the did not so I followed them to their place and retrieved it after they attempted to attack me."

After her explanation, Kensei started laughing and even Toudou chuckled a little. "You handled yourself a lot better than I thought you would," he admitted with a shake of his head. "Good job. Just, next time you do this, let the people you're teaming up with know what you're planning."

"Right...sorry about that," she muttered nervously.

Toudou placed a hand on her hand and she glanced up at him only to see his lips turn up the slightest in a barely perceptible smile. "You did well," he murmured kindly.

The praise made her already reddening cheeks darken. "So, what'd you think?" Kensei asked her curiously. At her confused look, he added in, "I mean did you enjoy the investigation?"

Yukiko took a moment to think this over while Kensei enjoyed the soft smell of plum blossoms wafting off his 10th seat in the light breeze. He'd been unable to enjoy it earlier as he was too irritated with the other captain to bother with anything else.

"Yeah, I really did," she admitted. "It was nice to take part in a mission where I didn't need to worry about anyone getting hurt because of my mistakes after all."

"Really, I figured it'd mostly be because you didn't have to fight hollows," he teased.

"Well...that too."

"How'd you like to be the head of investigation?" he asked suddenly.

Yukiko looked up at him in surprise at this. "What would that entail exactly?"

"It means you'll be the first I ask when it comes to these sorts of missions," he answered with a shrug. "You'll lead the investigations you go on and will only have to worry about battling hollows if and when it becomes necessary."

Her eyes widened in excitement and she smiled. "Yeah, that'd be awesome...just, would it be possible to..."

Before she could finish he cut her off with another laugh. "Yeah, if the investigation calls for more than one person you can take those guys with you too."

In her joy at the answer, she momentarily forgot any sense of propriety and hugged Kensei full around the middle. The contact made him very aware of what was pressing against him and of her scent rushing up to meet his nostrils. At the same time, he became all too aware of her lips pulled into a smile and the light nuzzle her head gave him. She looked up at him from her position of holding him and her eyes sparkled, like stars in the sky. They were almost...beautiful.

Glancing away from her, he spotted Toudou who had his eyebrow raised at the scene before him before shaking his head and continuing forward. As if only just realizing what she'd done, Yukiko suddenly pulled away from him and shuffled nervously as her face became beat red in embarrassment. "S-sorry!" she squeaked. "I-I forgot myself for a moment. But I am really pleased with the appointment and won't let you down."

After that she bowed deeply to him before sprinting away as if she couldn't put enough distance between herself and her captain. Kensei on the other hand gingerly rubbed his neck which had admittedly started heating up at the hug and he tried very hard to forget everything he'd experienced in those few seconds. It didn't seem to be working. Even still, he was a captain and unlike some others, he had control over himself and would not fall to ANY urges that came. No matter what.

* * *

Shippoman: Well, looks like Yukiko's got a new type of mission that seems to fit her personality better and the best part she gets to enjoy it with her four best friends. Unfortunately, she doesn't realize the sort of thoughts that are running through Kensei's brain and makes the not-so-unwanted physical contact. How long can Kensei last? Will Aizen's plan really affect her? How long will she be under surveillance of the stealth force? Stay tuned to find out and remember to R&amp;R.

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed to the past chapters. It really means a lot to hear how you think the story is going and what I could do to make it even better. I love hearing from you so if there's anything on your mind regarding the story don't hesitate to review about it or just shoot me a PM. I'll be sure to reply to it quickly.


	22. An Unwavering Request

Chapter 22: An Unwavering Request

Things were going pretty well for Yukiko. After her first investigation, she gave her friends the good news about her future assignments and took great pains to make a list of basic questions she could use for every one. If nothing else it would make things easier than trying to come up with something on the spot. She was excited at the prospect of her new assignment and knowing her four friends were able to join her on these missions made them even better.

After a week of these missions, she was already feeling like a pro and was pleased to know that she'd brought her friends on three of them. It felt good knowing that when it was time to bring someone along her captain trusted her to pick her own team. And so far, she hadn't failed a single mission.

A couple weeks into her new assignment found her chatting with her friends as she waited to hear from Kensei on what her mission would be that day. "And then, Sakagi here passed out," Kouga laughed finishing up an amusing story about a hollow they'd fought together.

"The hollow used an ability that acted as a tranquilizer," Sakagi tried to explain grudgingly. "I got hit with it, so what?"

"Yeah, but still, you dropped to the ground and started snoring in the middle of the fight," Kouga laughed loudly. "You have to admit that was hilarious."

"I'd say it would be quite frightening," Harris spoke up. "It seems hollow's have been gaining quite a bit more abilities that are completely unique and quite dangerous. For us anyway."

"Yeah, no kidding," Darui agreed with a groan. "The other day I had to face one that could change its size. I swear one moment he was ten feet tall and the next he was small enough to slip into a mouse hole. How do you chase that?"

Yukiko listened to the discussion her friends were having and felt something twist in her stomach. Their stories reminded her of the hollow that could make itself look like a normal soul. Something didn't feel natural about all these strange hollows. Maybe she should bring it up with Kensei. He'd probably have a few insights.

She was about to suggest to her friends that they bring up their concerns with their captain when out of nowhere, a person wearing the captain's haori appeared between her and the boys. It took her a second, but eventually she recognized the small female captain of squad 2. "Youruichi, what brings you here?" she asked as soon as she realized who the visitor was.

"No time to talk, we need to head out, now," the captain responded taking hold of her arm in a firm grip.

Before Yukiko could say another word, she suddenly felt her stomach drop as she was dragged off by the quick captain. She was moving faster than she'd ever gone before and her mind was very disoriented as she tried to figure out where they were and where they were headed.

By the time they finally came to a stop, she felt like she was going to hurl and had to lean over her own knees in order to get a hold of herself. "Y-Youruichi, where are we?" she mumbled weakly as she tried to get her stomach back under control.

"Are you saying you don't recognize this place, Ume?" Youruichi asked teasingly.

Yukiko internally groaned at the nickname, knowing it was used in a teasing fashion. She did take a moment to look over her surroundings, though, and found that it was indeed familiar. Unfortunately, she couldn't figure out why.

"Tch, so you're back," a highly irritated voice growled out. It was a voice Yukiko hadn't heard in awhile and the girl turned to see a teenage boy glaring daggers at the squad 2 captain. "What do you want this time, Youruichi? Why'd you bring her?"

"I just came for our weekly game of tag, Byakuya-boy," Youruichi laughed. Then without another word, she swiped the hair tie off the boy's head and stood several feet away from him, twirling it in her fingers.

Byakuya yelled in anger and frustration as he darted after her, trying to catch her. Yukiko watched the display and began to sweat. She'd been taken to the Kuchiki manor once again. Suddenly, she really wanted to go back to her own squad. She was afraid of getting into trouble with the squad 6 captain. He was a noble after all, and she'd only grown up in the Rukongai. Then again, she was there with Youruichi, another noble, so that should make it alright...shouldn't it?

While musing over her own worries, she didn't notice when Youruichi darted in front of her and deposited the hair tie in her hands before darting several feet away. "You'd better start moving, Ume. He'll catch you otherwise," she laughed loudly.

Yukiko looked down at the tie in her hands before looking up and nearly recoiling at the fuming noble running at her. "Give it back!" he yelled angrily.

* * *

Kensei shifted the papers on his desk as he waited for his 10th seat to arrive. He'd sent for her a few minutes ago and had a couple files next to him that needed to be dealt with. He was going to give her the chance to pick which one she wanted. He had a sneaking suspicion she was going to choose the one that needed more than one person to take care of it, but that was fine. She was far more confident in herself and could handle just about any soul reaper on her own now.

His thoughts on her growth were brought to a screeching halt as the girl's four friends came charging into his office panting softly. "Captain, we know you sent for Ume...but you can't blame her for not showing up," Darui exclaimed first.

"Right, she wasn't even given the chance to fight back or anything," Kouga added.

"It would be in poor taste to lay the responsibility solely on her shoulders," Harris agreed.

"What are you idiots getting at?" Kensei demanded. He hated it when they started talking about something without giving any form of context. He realized it had to do with his seemingly absent 10th seat, but that's all he could glean from their rant.

"Captain Shihoin just showed up and took off with her," Sakagi summed up having realized the problem as well. He and his companions were surprised by how tense their captain looked after their explanation.

"How long ago and where'd they go?" Kensei demanded seriously.

"Uh...about ten minutes ago and we have no idea," Kouga stuttered.

"They were using flashstep so we couldn't follow them," Darui added.

"Is something wrong...captain?" Harris asked feeling suddenly tense himself.

"It's nothing," he muttered moving over to the lump on the floor and shaking it with his foot. "Oy, Mashiro, get up. We're going after Yukiko."

The lump stirred and began to unfurl revealing the green hair of the lieutenant of squad 9. "Is it time for tag?" Mashiro asked with a yawn.

"More like hide and seek," he growled grabbing the files off his desk as he headed for the door. He paused before stepping through the door and shoved the files into Harris' hands. "Make sure these get to Eishima and Kazaki. They need to be done asap. Don't go poking through them yourselves."

"Yes, sir," Harris acknowledged with a short bow.

"Yay, we're going after Ume!" Mashiro shouted excitedly as she dashed out the door after Kensei. "So, why are we chasing Ume?"

"Squad 2 may have just come for her," Kensei growled out. He saw her face turn from surprise to worry in an instant. "They were supposed to alert me if that decision was made. Dammit..."

* * *

Yukiko had no intention of playing keep away with the boy and was going to give it right back, but somehow, she found his angry appearance and voice to be amusing and almost cute. So against her better judgment, she took the tie and ran away from him. He shouted at her and nearly caught her a few times proving just how fast he actually was. However, she was used to training with Mashiro, and no matter how fast the boy was he couldn't match her lieutenant's speed.

She continued to run away from the boy, occasionally tossing the tie to Youruichi and taking a breather while the older woman continued the game of keep away. Although she didn't know why, Yukiko found herself laughing. She was enjoying the game, and even more so, the over the top anger the boy displayed. In a lot of ways, it was just like her own captain's anger. Thinking about her captain made her realize that she'd been there playing around for good hour or more and that he was probably pissed that she'd been unavailable for whatever mission he had laid out for her.

Her thoughts were brought back to the present when she was nearly bowled over by the angry teenager as she suddenly found herself with the hair tie again. Thinking quickly, she darted out of his reach before latching onto his grasping hands and unceremoniously dropping the tie into them. "There, now the game is over," she murmured easily. "You know, I don't understand why you get so upset over something like this. I mean you are a noble, right. Why not just grab another one instead of chasing Youruichi? You've got more than just this one don't you?"

"It's not about the tie," the boy growled out taking said tie and using it to pull his hair back again. "It's the fact she took it from me. I will catch her one of these days."

"Somehow I doubt that, but I guess there's no reason not to keep trying," Yukiko replied with a shrug. She noticed that he seemed to have calmed down now that his hair was back and he seemed to be trying to return to a semblance of calm.

She was going to say something else, but she felt Youruichi wrap an arm around her throat and pull her aside. "Awe, you're ruining the fun, Ume," she said putting out a mock sense of depression. "Is there a reason you ended the game so early?"

"Forgive me, Youruichi, but I really should be returning to my squad," Yukiko answered easily. "I mean, I did just disappear all of a sudden, my captain's probably upset."

"You're damn right he is!"

The two females turned to see the hulking figure of Kensei marching towards them. Beside him stood a laughing Mashiro who was looking over the rich area with interest. "I'm sorry, captain," Yukiko responded quickly. "I know Youruichi showed up out of nowhere and sort of dragged me off...but I didn't exactly put up much of a fight. And playing keep away with Byakuya here kept me distracted. I'm very sorry."

"Tch, not your fault," Kensei grumbled rubbing his head. He hadn't expected to hear her apologize so suddenly when he got there but he was glad she at least understood what her disappearance did to her squad. "You know full well you're supposed to alert me whenever you need my men, Youruichi. Try this again and I'll have to render you immobile for awhile."

"T-that's not necessary, Captain," Yukiko quickly spoke up getting between the two captains. Unfortunately she was the only one who could intervene as Byakuya was deliberately trying to ignore them and Mashiro was fascinated by the koi pond nearby. Taking a deep breath, she focused her mind and turned to face the squad 2 captain. "Youruichi, as much as I enjoyed this outing and game I humbly request that this not occur again."

"Why not?" Youruichi asked curiously. She was a little surprised to hear the seriousness and firmness in the 10th seat's voice, and by the look on Kensei's face, she was sure he was too. "I thought you were enjoying yourself. And it was a simple request from a captain, and friend."

"Like I said, I quite enjoyed it," Yukiko admitted. "But, my duty to my squad comes first. I cannot be disappearing like this as it puts an unnecessary burden on the other members of my squad and that's not fair to them. So, please, next time you want to kidnap me for something, run it by my captain first. Otherwise, I'll have to refrain from joining you on any more games of tag."

Kensei stared down at his 10th seat and couldn't have felt prouder of her for stating so clearly her intention and desire. It was the first time he'd ever heard her be firm about anything. Looking over at the squad 2 captain he began to wonder if this would actually be enough to rescind the current order placed on his officer.

After a few moments of silence in which none of the three moved, Youruichi smiled and wrapped an arm around Yukiko's shoulders. "In that case, how can I possibly say no," she laughed. "You've got it, Yukiko. Though I've got a request of my own." Yukiko smiled pleased by the acceptance and nodded to let her know she was listening. "You should take to calling Byakuya-boy something else...something a bit cuter. How about...Bya-chan?"

Kensei groaned and ran a hand over his face. He seriously hoped his 10th seat wouldn't be manipulated into using a name like that, but by the look on her face he felt pretty sure she was.

Yukiko turned the name over in her mind a few times and thought about how it felt and how well received she thought it'd be. Then when her captain said it was time to go, she made her decision. She lifted her hand and got the young noble's attention. He looked her way and she smiled waiting for how he'd respond. "See you next time, Bya-chan!"

His jaw went slack as his entire face started to turn red. Then before she knew it he was yelling at her not to call him that. His response made her laugh and she turned to follow her captain away from the Kuchiki household. Although she really didn't understand why she was there in the first place, she'd really had a blast, and using that name was by far the most entertaining thing she'd seen in a long time. She knew she'd be using it for him from then on, and hoped she'd be able to join in on another round of keep away. If nothing else, it was a great way to keep her speed up, even increasing it, and it was a fun way to hang out with one of her favorite captains.

Yukiko smiled to herself as she traveled back to her own squad with her captain and lieutenant listening to the other girl laugh at the nickname given to the noble. Yeah, so long as her captain was alerted and okayed it, she'd be doing this way more often.

* * *

It was late when Kensei finally looked at the clock on the wall. He'd been up for several hours over what he'd been intending as Mashiro, once again, stole his bed. So instead of sleeping, he opted to get a jump on the paperwork meant for the next day.

Partway through his load, he realized someone was watching him from his window. "If you're here for me get in here already," he growled out. He already figured out who it was and knew that had they wanted, he would never have noticed their presence.

After a few moments without a response, a lighthearted chuckle floated through the air before a woman appeared on the corner of his desk; the papers fluttering softly as they were displaced by the speed of movement. "You don't have to be so defensive," the woman scolded as she extended one leg in front of her in a contemplative manner. "Especially when I came all this way to give you the good news personally."

"What good news?" Kensei muttered gesturing for her to get off his desk while he shifted the papers around once more.

"Why Yukiko," she answered easily. He gave her a look that told her to choose her words carefully. "See, I just got out of a meeting with the head captain and told him all about our little outing today. Needless to say he was intrigued by her seriousness."

"Tch, even she has her moments," Kensei grunted. "So what?"

"So, based of her recent actions being in charge of investigations throughout the squads, and because of what she asked me to do today," she responded a smile stretching across her face. "I managed to convince him to rescind the order to keep her under surveillance." He looked up at her with a smirk on his lips as if he expected nothing less. "You're welcome, by the way."

"Please, you expect me to believe you did this shit for me or the kid?" he growled out finally putting the papers down and giving her his full attention.

"Not really," she shrugged in answer. "I did think the hive was a bit harsh for someone with her disposition, but even I wouldn't be able to deny it's necessity if she proved to be that dangerous."

"You're full of it," Kensei growled out glaring up at her lightly. "So, what other reason did you have for coming here, Youruichi?"

"I must be getting rusty if you're able to see through me," she chuckled. "I was just following up on what she asked. "Tomorrow, I'm going to steal her away for an hour or two. Not more tag or anything. I'm going to see if she wants to have a bit of a sparring match with myself and my third seat. Admittedly I've been wanting to see her in action for quite some time now."

"Whatever, I have some stuff she's got to get done so don't keep her out past lunch," he grumbled knowing that straight up arguing would be pointless. "I mean that, Youruichi. NOT PAST LUNCH."

"Yeah, yeah, you're such a stick in the mud sometimes, Kensei," she laughed again heading back to the window. "See you tomorrow then."

With that she was gone. Kensei waited until her presence completely faded before allowing a smile of relief to stretch across his face. It was nice knowing he didn't have to worry about her ending up in that shithole any longer. Plus, if she was getting some training in with Youruichi, she'd become far stronger than before, if not faster.

He grinned to himself as he leaned back in his seat. Things were looking up, and as he thought about his 10th seat no longer needing to worry about being taken away, his mind conjured up an image of her sleeping face. The gentle slope of her nose, the slightly parted lips that let the slightest amount of air slip past, her slight curves shifting slightly as she turned beneath the covers letting the blanket slip just enough to reveal...

His eyes shot open as he realized where his thoughts were straying and he shook his head to rid himself of the image. It didn't work but he was able to keep it from getting any farther. He glanced over at the female sleeping in his bed to see if she'd been awake enough to notice anything. When she didn't stir he sighed in relief and ran a hand through his hair. He really needed to find a solution to this issue...before it became even more of a problem.

* * *

Shippoman: Bad Kensei...granted he really is trying but can you blame him? He is a guy after all... ;p Anyway, with the surveillance lifted on Yukiko what changes will start to take place? Stay tuned to find out as Aizen once again makes an appearance. And please remember to R&amp;R.


	23. A Lieutenant's Curiosity

Chapter 23: A Lieutenant's Curiosity

"Wow, work really seems to bring me here a little too often," Yukiko sighed as she stopped in front of the squad 5 barracks. "Sure I like visiting with Captain Hirako and Lieutenant Aizen, but this is getting ridiculous."

It was another investigation; one that included abuse of power within the Rukongai. To her surprise, a few of the residents of one of the towns pointed out the perpetrators had been wearing uniforms from squad 5...which is why she stood outside their barracks. While her four friends inspected the Rukongai, looking for any more clues, she headed to squad 5 trying to see if she could catch the ones responsible.

Deciding it'd be best to explain herself to the captain before she began snooping around, she headed for the office where Shinji sat sorting through papers on his desk. "Good afternoon, Captain Hirako," she greeted with a smile.

"Yukiko, what brings you out here?" he asked setting his work aside so he could look her over. She seemed to be doing alright and that made him smile.

"Work," she answered with a shrug. "We had a report that a soul reaper was abusing his power in the Rukongai. According to the residents, he was wearing a squad 5 uniform so I thought it'd be a good idea to talk to your squad members."

"Tch, abuse of power," Shinji sighed rubbing his head. "That's a really irritating claim."

"Yeah, I know," Yukiko sighed as well. "It's a load of paperwork and stuff, but there's the chance they came from somewhere else and simply wore your uniform to keep from being identified. That's why I'm here."

"Sounds good," Shinji nodded getting to his feet. "Feel free to use whatever you need to get this settled."

"Thanks," Yukiko murmured with a smile. "I'll take care of it as quickly as possible."

Shinji nodded his understanding and the young 10th seat quickly left his office to head into the grassy area behind the building. Here, she walked over to a small bridge that stretched over a small creek, took a deep breath, and let the wind flow past her.

Sounds were brought to her ears from all parts of the squad 5 area as she listened for anything that would alert her to a possible suspect. Granted there was the chance she wouldn't catch anything, at which point she'd need to speak with each member in turn, but as this usually shortened the amount of time needed to talk to people she preferred to use it first.

After a short amount of time, she realized that someone had approached her. "It's been a little while, hasn't it Lieutenant Aizen," she murmured without looking at him. "Can I help you with something?"

"I was just curious to see why the squad 9 10th seat was once again visiting," Aizen answered sheepishly. "I have to say I'm surprised you noticed me."

"Well, you're not exactly silent," Yukiko giggled finally turning toward him. "See, right now, I'm listening to the entire squad."

Aizen raised an eyebrow at this having not understood what she'd said. "How can you listen to the entire squad?"

"Well...I don't really know how to explain it," she admitted sheepishly. "But think of it like this. The wind I control with my reiatsu collects all the sound waves in a given area and blows it toward my ears. That way I can hear it all just fine. So when you walked up, I heard your breath, the swish of your cloak and your soft steps in the grass."

"I see, and how did you know it was me from all that?" he asked curiously.

"Oh...that I only figured out from the smell," she muttered reluctantly. "It-it's not bad, it's just...you're the only one I know that smells like paperwork with a hint of aftershave." She shook her hands quickly trying to reassure him that she didn't mean any offense by it and he smiled lightly at her.

"I see," he chuckled. "I've never been told I had such a distinct smell before."

"Sorry," she muttered scratching the back of her head. "I just...it's not exactly obvious, but with my wind going everywhere it sort of draws scents toward me as well as sound. I didn't mean anything by it."

"No, no, it's quite alright," Aizen laughed again. "That ability of yours is really interesting. If I might ask, why are you listening to our squad?"

"Oh, it's a mission," she explained. "Someone was abusing their power and I heard they came from your squad so I'm just running a quick check to make sure."

"I see. Have you found anything yet?" he asked coming to stand next to her on the bridge.

"Not yet, but then again there's the chance that I don't hear anything incriminating and will have to conduct interviews with everyone here."

"That would take an awful long time though, wouldn't it?" Aizen asked as he inspected her face.

"Yeah, that's why I try to use this first," Yukiko giggled lightly. "Besides, I enjoy using the abilities that don't have to deal with combat. It's kind of fun testing out my own strength like this."

"I suppose it would be," Aizen acknowledged.

Yukiko turned from him, leaning over the edge of the bridge and staring into the water below. In doing so, she saw her wind draw across the surface of the water and ripples appeared. She jumped back in surprise and stared at it for a moment.

"Is there something wrong?" Aizen asked, confused by her actions.

"Yeah, I...no, not really," Yukiko sighed running a hand through her hair. "It wouldn't be the first time I saw something that wasn't there."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, awhile ago I happened to see ripples," she began. "Some appeared randomly in the sky and the others...well it doesn't matter."

"Ripples?"

"Yeah. That's really the only way I can describe it. Seeing them kind of reminds me of the way water ripples when wind blows across it. Nothing to worry about. I was just tired both times I saw it."

"I see. Well at least you're doing better now," he expressed. "Though I suppose if it persists you should go see Unohana. You never know what seeing those ripples actually means regarding your mental health."

"I'm not crazy," Yukiko growled folding her arms in irritation. "Though I do see your point. I'll think about it."

At that moment, she heard a voice on the wind that spoke of tormenting the weak in the Rukongai and bid the Lieutenant farewell.

"If it really is as you describe it," Aizen murmured to himself. "Then it makes complete sense as to why you are able to see through my ability. Still, you continue to amaze me, Yukiko."

* * *

It was a few hours after the arrival of the young 10th seat that Shinji found himself back in his office dealing with the paperwork that he'd need to send to Central 46 when it was done. Turned out he had three members of his squad abusing their power by torturing the good people of the Rukongai. The leader of that group was actually his fifth seat and the rest were non-seated members.

"Tch, what a pain in the ass," he grumbled. It wasn't too huge of a deal, but the mess did make it so he was short a 5th seat. And it reflected poorly on him and his squad. Great.

He leaned back in his seat in irritation and rolled up one of the papers on his desk into a ball before tossing it across the room into a trash bin. He still had so much work to do and it was getting dark. The last thing he wanted to do was stay up all night working on this stuff.

His irritated musings were interrupted as a knock sounded on his door. "Come in!" he called out, knowing he couldn't and shouldn't ignore the person on the other side.

"Captain, all three of them have been transported to their cells where they will await the judgment from Central 46," the person stated as they entered the room.

Shinji looked up to see Sousuke Aizen stepping into his room with a file in his hands. "Thanks, Sousuke," he replied taking the files and adding them to the pile on his desk. "Yukiko did head back to her own squad, didn't she?"

"Of course."

"Good, she and her friends did a hell of a job. They deserve the break," Shiji grumbled. It still irked him slightly that he had needed the younger soul reaper to sniff out the insurgents in his own squad. Still, she was definitely good at what she did.

"Sir, forgive my forwardness," Aizen began. "But I was wondering why she's still merely a 10th seat when she has so much power."

"It's none of my business," Shinji grumbled in reply. "And frankly it isn't yours either. That's between her and Kensei."

"Surely you see that she deserves a higher position," Aizen argued. "She was able to completely over power our 5th seat of course."

"Sure, the kid's good," Shinji replied with a shrug. "She's strong, agile, and witty as all get out. But that doesn't mean she's ready for more responsibility. We only get to see her every once in awhile...when she needs to be stronger. That means nothing in the long run. If she ain't promoted it's because Kensei doesn't think she's ready yet."

"That's nothing more than excuse, sir," Aizen sighed. "Or is it that you really don't think she's capable?"

Shinji sighed for a moment before looking his lieutenant over. The initial question made him wonder, what is his lieutenant's real interest in the young 10th seat. It made him uneasy...especially considering what he'd heard just after the meeting to determine her standing within soul society.

** * Flashback ***

As soon as Kensei had left, Shinji walked away from the railing and ran his fingers through a stretch of air, seemingly pulling it aside to reveal a rather stunned looking Aizen. "Eavesdropping isn't a good habit to get into, Sousuke," he muttered looking his lieutenant over.

"Sorry, Captain Hirako," Aizen replied looking rather sheepish and embarrassed. "I'd been curious to hear what the verdict regarding Yukiko was."

"She's sticking around," Shinji explained easily. "She'll be under strict supervision of the Stealth Force, but she's still free to roam around."

"That's good," Aizen sighed walking alongside his captain as they headed back to their own squad. "After seeing her spar Lieutenant Sarugaki I was a little concerned. She's way stronger than any 10th seat I've ever seen."

"Yeah, but it's not a problem," Shinji declared putting a stop to anything else his lieutenant was going to say. "Nothing's going to happen to her so none of this information is to get around. The last thing we need is for the lower seated and unseated members to become terrified of her."

"Right, I understand, Captain," Aizen agreed nodding his head. "I have to ask though, with her skills and power, is she ever going to be promoted?"

Shinji had to stop and think about that one. He knew she was more than capable of taking on the higher seated positions after the months she'd spent training and completing missions. "That decision is up to her and her captain and has nothing to do with us," he finally answered. Admittedly it was slightly disconcerting that his lieutenant was asking about it. Was there another reason he'd wanted to know?

** * End Flashback ***

"Naw, she's more than capable," Shinji answered waving a hand in the air, brushing aside the accusation. "She's got nowhere to go within squad 9 though, so I'll bet Kensei's just waiting for the right moment."

"Well, technically we do have an opening for 5th seat," Aizen pointed out. "Assuming of course that Central 46 removes Saren from his position."

Shinji's eyes narrowed at this. Was Aizen suggesting they transfer her to his squad? Something about that felt very wrong. "Don't go jumping the gun just yet, Sousuke," he growled, hiding his uneasy feelings. "He may be allowed to stay depending on what level of punishment he receives."

"I suppose that's true," Aizen chuckled nervously. "Sorry, I didn't mean to seem as if I was counting on him leaving or anything. I just thought that it'd be a good opportunity for her."

"Well, as I said before, it's all up to her and Kensei," Shinji stated firmly. "I'd rather not hear any more gossip regarding this topic so keep any other assumptions or thoughts regarding it to yourself."

"Of course, sir," Aizen acknowledged quickly. "Should I be on my way then?"

"Yeah, get some rest," Shinji replied easily going back to his work. As he listened to his lieutenant leaving his office, he felt a cold chill run down his spine. Hopefully, Kensei would never get the idea to transfer her to his squad. He was sure she'd be in trouble if that ever happened.

* * *

Yukiko was all smiles when she strolled into Kensei's office. She was very pleased with how her mission ended and couldn't wait to tell her captain how she managed to figure it out. At the very least, she wanted nothing more than him to tell her she did a good job. Admittedly though, there was a part of her that wished he'd do more than that.

Still, she'd never admit it to anyone but herself, but she really cared for her captain...more than is allowed actually. She'd felt it a few times, when he carried her when she was too injured. The first day he saved her from the twin hollows and stood over her protectively. And then there were the times he trained her, and told her to look after herself. Even if it was only because she was part of his squad, the fact that he cared enough about her to say it at all made her heart soar.

Her thoughts returned to the completion of her mission as she stepped through his door and looked at his slightly scowling face, feeling her face heat as he looked right at her. She was able to push it back, choosing to keep the meeting business related only.

"Well, that's mission complete, Captain," she greeted cheerfully. "Three members of squad 5 were found to be guilty of abuse of power within the Rukongai and have all been imprisoned awaiting verdict from Central 46."

"Good job," Kensei replied shifting his papers. He glanced up at her and she grinned hearing his praise, as small as it was. "Make sure you get the paperwork regarding everything you did finished and turned in first thing in the morning."

"Sure thing, Captain," she agreed happily. "Is there anything else you wanted from me?"

Kensei looked her over at this question. Her scent was filling the room the longer she was there and he felt his neck beginning to heat with each smile she gave him. "No, that's it for today. Feel free to get in some practice," he told her focusing on the work before him. "Just no late night training."

"Right, I promise Captain," Yukiko chuckled. Her heart skipped a beat hearing him worry about her once more. Then she bid him farewell and left the room.

Kensei sighed as soon as she was gone, rubbing his forehead. He could still smell the plum blossoms that was her own personal scent. It was irritating how that smell seemed to linger wherever she went, though he couldn't deny it kept him from blowing up nearly as much as he used to. And he couldn't get the sound of her voice saying, "Captain.." out of his head. It was strangely alluring and he had to force himself to think about something else.

Knowing she no longer had to worry about going to the hive sure took an enormous amount of stress off his shoulders, but her constantly being around was adding a new one he never anticipated. He was weaker than he thought. Still, he had to admit that over the course of the last two years she'd done quite well for herself.

Now, she was more than capable, physically and mentally to take on more responsibility. Which meant she was due to rise in the ranks. Problem was, he had no desire to double up any of his seated positions, nor did he want to transfer her to another squad. He worried that without him and Mashiro around, she'd slip back into her timid demeanor and end up on the chopping block again.

That...and he secretly wanted to keep her near him.

Regardless, people were starting to wonder, both in his squad and outside it as to whether or not she'd be promoted. He had to come to a decision soon and make it believable, but that part of him really didn't want to. Man, she was such a headache...one that, he was willing to put off dealing with. For now at least.

* * *

Shippoman: Ah, Kensei doesn't want to see her go. :D Shinji doesn't want to see her transfer either, but for other reasons. Things are starting to get a bit nerve wracking as Aizen goes delving for information and in the next chapter he takes another step. Stick around to see what he plans next, and how squad 9 handles it. And please remember to R&amp;R.


	24. An Unscheduled Nap

Chapter 24: An Unscheduled Nap

A few weeks after her mission to squad 5, Yukiko found herself strolling around the bazaar of Rukongai district 8. She was feeling a little stressed as it was the first day she'd had off since the last time she'd been abducted by Youruichi. This time, however, nothing was expected of her. She wasn't off training or hanging out with anyone in particular. No this day was all hers; and how was she choosing to spend it? She was trying with all her might to find an appropriate birthday gift for Mashiro before the party that very night.

She actually asked for the day off so she could locate a suitable gift, but after three hours of searching, she still hadn't found anything. In the past she'd bought candy which was eaten within minutes and the next time she'd gotten her some toy that was broken the next day. This time, she simply wanted a gift that would last...at least a week.

As she strolled down street after street without a single item that jumped out at her, she spotted three familiar faces. Eishima, Toudo, and Kazaki were on their way out of the bazaar all carrying something in their arms.

"Hey, Eishima, did you guys already grab gifts for Mashiro?" Yukiko called out running up to them.

The three turned and she could see the thin man smiling at her. The expressions on the other two appeared to be reluctance...or maybe irritation. "You'd be right," Eishima replied easily. "I assume you're gift hunting as well?"

"Yeah, I still haven't found anything though," Yukiko sighed in depression. "What'd you get?"

"I bought her a small gyroscope that should keep her from getting bored," Eishima explained understanding her reason for asking.

Kazaki reluctantly held up a jar filled with candy. "I'm going to regret this," he muttered.

Toudo revealed a stuffed animal before quickly hiding it away. Yukiko was sure he was just embarrassed to be seen with it.

Yukiko smiled brightly at the three of them. "Thanks...maybe now I'll finally find something." With that she gave Eishima a hug and took off back into the bazaar.

The three higher seats watched her leave and had to shake their heads. She was a little too excited about this whole thing. It was nice to see her in high spirits, but sometimes her energy was too much even for them.

Yukiko rushed to a shop she'd seen before she ran into the three higher seated members, having remembered something she'd seen before. When she got there, the item was missing and her head fell in depression. That had been the perfect gift too...

She walked out of the shop wondering where to go next when she literally bumped into someone and nearly fell over. "Oomph, sorry about that," she exclaimed quickly straightening herself and looking to see who she'd run into. "Lieutenant Aizen, sorry about running into you. What are you doing out here anyway?"

"Yukiko," Aizen greeted with a gentle smile. "I happened to have the day off and decided to take a walk. Perhaps see if there was anything in these shops that caught my fancy. What brings you here?"

"Well, tonight we have a birthday party for Mashiro," Yukiko explained, her smile dropping a bit. "I still haven't been able to find a gift for her though."

"Hmm, I was under the impression that Lieutenant Kuna was actually easy to buy for," Aizen murmured after a few moments.

"Well, she usually is," Yukiko agreed. "I mean, she's extremely easy to please. But, I feel that everything I've gotten before didn't mean as much since it was gone or broken almost immediately. I'm hoping to find something that'll last a bit longer." She sighed and turned to the shop she'd just left. "I had an awesome idea in there, but the thing I'd seen before was gone by the time I came again. Now I'm out of ideas."

"Hmm, well would you like a bit of assistance?" the lieutenant asked graciously. "If nothing else I'll be an ear you can bounce ideas off of."

Yukiko looked up at him in surprise. "Are you sure? I mean you probably have other stuff you want to do today and I don't want to take up all your time."

"I assure you it's perfectly fine," he murmured calmly placing a calming hand on her shoulder. "So, where should we go next?"

Yukiko grinned at him in joy before picking a direction and setting off, the lieutenant of squad 5 easily keeping pace. The pair spent the next hour or so touring around the bazaar going in and out of shops. The entire time, the young soul reaper would pull up an item and show it to Aizen to get his opinion on it. Then no matter what he said she would decide it wasn't good enough and put it back.

No matter how many ideas she ran past him, however, he never once told her she was annoying or that she needed to just pick something and move on. Instead he would give his opinion on each item and how he believed Mashiro would react to it. Yukiko really appreciated the time he was giving her and knew she probably was being an irritant with all her questions, but still it felt nice to know he was listening to her.

Eventually she came upon a place that sold plants, flowers mostly. She was about to pass it up when something occurred to her and she dashed inside with Aizen trailing after her curiously. Inside she moved about the different plants without really seeing them until she found what she was looking for. Sitting in a tiny little pot, was a single green stem.

Aizen watched her pick it up and examine it and only after she seemed satisfied and held it up to him to show did he see what it was. The label on the side read, "Plum blossom." "Are you certain you wish to get a plant for Lieutenant Kuna?" he asked cautiously. "She doesn't seem like the type to take responsibility over anything. Even a plant might be a bit much.'

"No, I think she'll love it," Yukiko replied cheerfully. "Thanks for everything, Lieutenant Aizen. I'm sorry about dragging you all over the place. I feel like I ignored most of your advice. I'm glad you stuck around though. It helped me think clearly."

"Of course," Aizen replied with a gentle smile. He patted her shoulder again and started directing her to the exit. "I'm just happy you were able to find what you were looking for."

"Right, well it's getting late," Yukiko grinned happily. "I should get going. I don't want to be late for the party after all." She started moving down the street but after a few steps, she stopped and turned back. "Thanks again, Leiutenant Aizen!"

He waved to her as she ran off. The moment she was gone his gentle smile turned rather sinister and he spoke to someone unseen. "It's time," he murmured softly. "Make sure she's alone before you act."

"Of course." The reply sounded from the empty space beside him.

* * *

A few hours later, the night was drawing to a close and Kensei was trying to keep Mashrio distracted. She kept asking about where Yukiko was, and so were a lot of other squad members. The young 10th seat should have been back long before it grew dark. The fact she still wasn't around had him worried as well. Where the hell did she go?

He walked around the grounds saying a few words here and there to the different squad members he ran into. There was one point where he had to convince the four men who followed Yukiko around that she was just fine. They were if possible, more worried about her than he was. Things weren't getting any better. Eventually he managed to speak with Kazaki long enough to tell him to gather up his commando unit, minus Mashiro, and meet in his office in half an hour if Yukiko did not show up.

Half an hour later, the four requested men were standing in his office as he walked in. "Sir, Yukiko still hasn't appeared," Eishima told him worriedly.

"No one has seen her since we left her to her shopping either," Kazaki grumbled in irritation.

"How long ago did you see her?" Kensei asked as he began strapping on his sword and throwing on his captain's haori. He'd abandoned both in his office for the duration of the party as it was supposed to be a little more relaxed.

"Almost six hours ago," Toudo answered.

"And no one has seen her since then?" Kensei demanded.

"No one within our squad," Eishima explained quickly.

"Fine," Kensei growled. "You three head back to that bazaar and see if you can find someone who knows where she went. Tousen, I need you to search around the eastern section of our area. For all we know she came half way back and fell asleep somewhere. You know how clueless she is sometimes."

"Yes, sir!" The four answered before the three lower seats left the room.

Before he left, Tousen paused at the door and turned to his captain. "What will you be doing?" he asked calmly.

"I'm going to search the area between Rukongai and here," Kensei answered. "Just in case."

Tousen nodded his head and left without another word. Once all of them were gone, Kensei headed out himself. He scanned every street he went by hoping he wouldn't find her there. No, more than anything he hoped she was back in their squad area and would be found by Tousen completely unharmed.

As he drew closer to the wall that separated Rukongai from seireitei, he started noticing the soft scent of plum blossoms in the air. "Don't tell me," he muttered to himself as he turned yet another corner.

"There she is," Kensei sighed as he found Yukiko laying on her back on the ground. She was completely unconscious and seemed to be sleeping peacefully. Next to her sat a pot filled with soil and a single green stem poking out of it. "What the hell is she doing sleeping here?"

He reached down and tried to wake her up, but she didn't respond. She didn't appear to be ill, nor was there any physical damage anywhere on her. So then...did she just lie down and go to sleep? Kind of an odd place for that.

Knowing that it was late, and dark, and that she wasn't going to be waking up any time soon, he lifted her into his arms, bridal style. Then as an after thought, he grabbed up the pot and set it on top of her before making his way back to the barracks.

Along the way, he couldn't help but notice the smell of plum blossoms wafting up from her sleeping form, or the soft murmurings coming from her slightly parted lips. Halfway back, she shifted in his grasp and one hand closed around the edge of his shihakusho. He'd need to get her to let go of it later, but right now, the soft brushes from her hand on his chest sent chills up his spine.

Luckily, he didn't come across anyone on the way back and was able to enter her room without any interference, closing the door behind him. Once inside, he managed to set the potted plant down on a table before gently lying her down on her bed.

Because of the hold she had on his clothes, he was forced to almost lie down as well, leaning over her as he did so. Then he slowly reached up and pulled her hand off the collar of his uniform without waking her. With that done, he moved to get up, but found himself pausing part way through.

His eyes focused in on the sleeping female. Her eyes, that always sparkled when she was excited, were closed and her full lips were parted as she breathed. He noticed that her hair had grown longer, enough that a few strands hung in front of her eyes, and he reached up to brush them aside.

In doing so, he drew closer to her, staring at her gentle face. Her steady breath fell lightly on his cheeks, and then his lips. He was mesmerized by the sight of her sleeping and the scent of plum blossoms that filled the room and thus invaded his senses. His brain had all but shut down as he seemed to draw ever closer to her.

Then, all at once her head shifted, lightly nuzzling the hand that had brushed her hair and was still resting on her cheek. "Mmm...warm," she mumbled sleepily. The movement of her lips as she spoke, caused them to lightly brush against his showing him just how close he'd become.

As if receiving an electric shock, he immediately jumped back and nearly tripped over his own feet in his attempt to retreat from the sleeping 10th seat. His breathing was coming hard as he forced himself to look away from her. Quickly, he made his way out of her room, subconsciously rubbing the back of his neck which had become uncomfortably hot.

As he made his way back to his own room, Kensei went over the scene again and again and cursed his moment of weakness. He was stronger than that, he knew it, and it pissed him off to know that for only a moment he'd lost all sense and nearly kissed her...with her still sleeping. No, sleeping or not he shouldn't have come that close. He'd been putting off deciding whether or not to transfer her, but after this he knew he had to decide now...before a similar incident occurred. As a captain, and as a man, he could not allow himself to come that close again.

* * *

The next morning, he was moving steadily through his paperwork when his door opened after a tentative knock. He glanced up and nearly recoiled when he saw Yukiko stepping inside. She had a confused expression on her face and was holding the pot from last night. Unfortunately, his close call from the night before caused a few inappropriate images to flash through his mind seeing her again.

"Morning, Captain," she greeted sheepishly.

"What the hell happened last night?" he demanded glancing away from her.

"Oh...uh, I take it this means I didn't actually make it to the party then," Yukiko chuckled nervously.

"What was your first clue?" he grumbled glancing back at her reluctantly.

"Sorry, was Mashiro mad I didn't show up?" He gave her a look that said it all and she nodded. "Um, how did I get back to my room?"

Kensei was about to answer when Mashiro burst through the room and threw her arms around Yukiko nearly causing her to drop the potted plant. "Ume! Where were you yesterday?" she yelled with a pout. "You promised to be there."

"Sorry, Mashiro," Yukiko murmured reluctantly. "I did get you a gift though." She held up the plant and the lieutenant stared at it in confusion. "It's...a plum blossom. I know you aren't really into plants all that much...but plum blossoms mean a lot to me. I just wanted to share that with you."

Mashiro stared at the plant for several more minutes before leaping up and snatching the pot with glee. "That's so awesome, Ume!" she exclaimed. "I'll go put it in Kensei's room right now." With that, she left the office in a hurry.

"S-sorry, captain," Yukiko stuttered once the lieutenant had left. "I did try and find something she wouldn't bother you with. Guess I failed."

"It's fine," Kensei grumbled shuffling aside a few papers and pulling a blank one towards him. "Now explain to me what happened after you found your gift."

Yukiko took a deep breath and thought things over for a minute. "To be honest, sir, I don't remember much," she admitted. "I mean, not long after entering the seireitei I started to feel a little tired. Next thing I know I'm waking up in my bed."

"You're saying you don't remember anything?" Kensei asked worriedly. "No presence, no damage, no random person walking past?"

Yukiko shook her head. "No, sir. I was completely alone. I didn't sense anyone nearby and I don't have any injuries of any sort. Not even any from falling. I don't even know how I got back."

"I brought you back," he explained simply. "You were sleeping on the ground not far from the gate."

"Just...lying there?"

"Yeah. That's why I wanted to know what happened."

"But, I don't even remember lying down," she muttered more to herself.

Kensei looked her over at this. He didn't understand how she came to lying there any more than she did. But he did realize that someone must have knocked her out. Someone skilled enough to keep her from noticing them. The question was though, why would someone knock her out in the first place? What was their aim?

"Is something wrong, captain?" she asked noticing the tension surrounding him.

Her question brought his mind back to her and he observed her carefully. "No. But, you're going to spend the morning telling me exactly what happened yesterday. Every single detail of your day. Everyone you met, everyone you passed. No matter how insignificant the detail seems. You're going to tell me."

Yukiko groaned but nodded in acceptance and took a seat near his desk. It was going to be a long morning.

* * *

Shippoman: Yukiko's been attacked and has everyone in her squad worried. To make matters worse, Kensei's control is slipping and still Yukiko has no idea just how close she came to losing something precious. In the next chapter, decisions are made and Yukiko's accident is explained. But the question is, will anyone besides the perpetrator figure it out? Stay tuned and please remember to R&amp;R.


	25. Accidents

SM: So before I get this started, I wanted to say I apologize before hand if Kensei appears slightly OOC during this chapter. I did the best that I could with him and hope he isn't too annoying...

ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

* * *

Chapter 25: "Accidents"

Tousen had been impressed by his captain's speed and luck, though considering who his captain was it wasn't too surprising. After watching him interact with the lower seated member when he believed they were alone only served to increase his lack of surprise.

Still, he had some information to report and with his captain off learning what had happened to her the night before, he felt it was the perfect opportunity to report in. Which is the reason he found himself stepping through a thick metal door into what appeared to be a laboratory. Although he could not see like most souls, he still knew that the room he'd entered was filled to the brim with machines of all sorts and tanks that contained various hollows he'd helped capture.

Over in a corner, hard at work, he located the man he'd been looking for. "Lord Aizen," he greeted respectfully taking a knee.

"Kaname, I take it that Captain Muguruma is still trying to discover what exactly happened to his 10th seat," Aizen replied without turning around. His focus was on a small vial that was filled with a dark red liquid. There was a label on the side with a name written on it.

"Yes sir," Tousen answered without getting up. "He has ordered her to reveal every action she took yesterday that led up to her passing out in the street. I doubt he has determined what caused her to fall asleep in the first place. Even she has not figured it out yet."

"I see. That's good then," Aizen murmured thoughtfully. "After all, it would become rather cumbersome if they were to discover that a sample of her blood had been taken for study." He turned the vial in his hands to focus on the name written on the label: Yukiko. "I doubt I would have the time to fully finish my analysis."

"Have you found anything helpful as of yet?" Tousen asked curiously.

"Oh, yes," Aizen murmured, a dark smile taking residence on his face. "Kaname, after everything I've learned regarding this woman, I have determined that should she continue to grow she'll eventually become a threat to my plans. Unless, that is, I manage to recruit her instead."

Tousen shook his head. "Sir, I highly doubt she would willingly turn on Captain Muguruma for any reason," he stated firmly. "Especially considering their relationship seems to be going beyond what is considered condonable."

Aizen turned to look the darker soul reaper over at this and tapped his chin with his index finger. "I see, then I suppose we'll just have to form a bond that's even stronger," he murmured more to himself. "Considering that Captain Muguruma is the sort of man to stick to the laws of soul society, he would never allow himself to cross that line. Unless pushed, that is. Kaname, see what you can do to speed things up. I'll make sure I have everything ready, for Yukiko's "promotion"."

* * *

"Ugh...I can't believe I came here of all places," Kensei grumbled staring up at the squad 5 barracks. "Tch, I must be losing it."

Grudgingly, he stepped inside and made his way to the captain's office, slamming the door open without knocking. He had a moment of satisfaction when he saw the startled expression that passed over the squad 5 captain's face.

"Kensei, what are you doing all the way over here?" Shinji sighed setting his paperwork aside. "I thought only Mashiro arrived unannounced like this."

"Just shut up," Kensei grunted leaning against the wall. "I needed to talk that's all."

"Okay, so where is your little tagalong?" Shinji asked confused by the other captain's appearance.

"I gave the nuisance the day off, her and Yukiko," Kensei grunted. "They ran off to the bazaar in the Rukon districts again. Same one too."

"Same one she past out returning from?" Shinji asked raising an eyebrow. "I'm impressed she's willing to still go there considering."

Kensei shrugged trying not to pay attention to the question or the topic. "I just seriously needed a break. Mashiro's been driving me crazy. I think she somehow managed to become more annoying than usual."

"Really?" Shinji asked in amusement. "What'd she do? It must be bad if you're coming all the way over here just to avoid her."

The larger captain groaned at the thought, one hand on his head. He was gritting his teeth and Shinji could see a tick pulsing on his forehead. "She's been torturing me every day this week," Kensei growled. "At first it wasn't too bad...just irritating. Somehow she managed to get her hands on dozens of plum blossom plants and scattered them about the squad. Now no matter where I go I can smell it."

"So, that's not such a bad thing," the blonde muttered looking the other over in a bored manner. "Aren't plum blossoms supposed to be therapeutic or something?"

"Yeah, something like that," Kensei agreed reluctantly. "Like I said it wasn't too bad at first." He felt his neck start to heat up a little thinking about the smell the little plants gave off. "But after that, she only got worse. I swear she's out to get me."

"Okay...what kind of damage could she do to you?" Shinji laughed believing the grumpy captain was just blowing it out of proportion.

Kensei glared at the laughing man, his face darkening in remembrance, as he tried to keep his cheeks from doing the same. "She's messing with shit she should really just leave alone."

*Flashback*

"I sweat these plants keep showing up in weirder and weirder places," Kensei growled as he walked out of the barracks carrying one of the potted plants with him. As soon as he got outside, he tossed it on the ground along with a pile of six or seven others. "What a pain."

He glanced up into the sky after this and noticed the moon was high, along with thousands of stars. It was a pretty warm night and the slight breeze made it really relaxing.

"Huh, figured Mashiro would be back and stealing my bed by now," he muttered to himself. "Where the hell is she?"

He wandered through the squad following her reiatsu and realizing she wasn't alone. When he finally reached the spot she was resting in, he found her and the owner of the second reiatsu, Yukiko, sitting on a hill and staring up at the stars. To his surprise, though, they were both wearing bright flowery Yukata.

At his approach, Mashiro turned and grinned up at him. "Tee hee, Pervey Kensei's got a stupid look on his face," she snickered. "Be right back..." With that she jumped up and rushed off back down the hill with a few delighted giggles.

"Tch, what's with her?" he muttered rubbing the back of his head.

"I don't know, she's been acting weird all night," Yukiko sighed getting to her feet as well and turning to face him.

Her Yukata was a light blue with small pink flowers covering the entire surface. It was form fitting, allowing him to see the curve of her waist and dipped low enough where he could see the flesh just above her size C breasts. Her cheeks were lightly dusted with pink and she was avoiding his eye.

"Uh, this outfit...was her idea," she muttered nervously. "She said, she wanted to watch the stars with me tonight, and that we should wear these since it's so warm."

"Should of figured it was her idea," he muttered shaking his head and trying to avoid looking at her. Every time he did, he had an image of the yukata being just a little more open and... there was no way he was going to focus on it any more than that. "It's late...you should head back in. You don't want to tackle your mission tomorrow on little sleep."

"Right," she murmured, turning a little more red. "See you tomorrow."

*End Flashback*

Shinji burst out laughing after Kensei's explanation of the incident. He couldn't believe Mashiro had managed to bring about such an event, much less that the larger captain had actually admitted it. Granted the man hadn't said exactly how he responded to it, but that didn't matter. He could see the slightest amount of red riding up the silver haired man's neck. He'd enjoyed it more than he was willing to say.

"Alright, I guess I can see why she's getting on your nerves," he chuckled. "Seriously though, that alone shouldn't be enough to make you want to hide away here?"

"If it ended there I wouldn't have," the silver haired man grumbled. "From then on she just kept pushing it. Reminding me at every turn about that stupid outfit. Then just yesterday she took it one step farther..."

*Flashback*

"Kensei!"

The shout made the squad 9 captain flinch in irritation. What'd his spoiled lieutenant want this time? "What do you want, Mashiro?" he growled. "Can't you see I'm working?"

"Meanie, I just wanted to get your help with something," the lieutenant whined, wiggling a little where she stood.

"Ugh, what with?" Kensei muttered putting his paperwork down.

"My window's stuck," she whined playfully. "Fix it!"

"If I do will you leave me alone?" he demanded.

"Yep!"

Realizing it might be the only way to get his work done for the day, he got up and followed his lieutenant to her room. The sooner he fixed the window the sooner he could get back to work.

As they neared her room, he saw her dash inside leaving the door open. Hoping this whole thing wasn't some stupid ploy to get him to play with her or something, he stepped inside without being able to see her anywhere.

"Mashiro, that you?"

Kensei froze in the doorway when he heard the voice. "What the hell is Yukiko doing in here?" he wondered. After a moment's thought he realized it was probably another way to embarrass him using her. "Damn you, Mashiro."

Before he could turn and leave, however, a figure wandered their way out from the bathroom. They were wearing the bottom half of the uniform and had the top half only partway on. Somehow they'd gotten stuck trying to put it on. He could easily see a tiny bit of dark red hair poking out from the top and he realized it had to be his 10th seat.

Then he realized that as she stumbled towards him, her belly was completely exposed thanks to the cloth keeping her arms above her head. Despite all his effort, he found his eyes moving from her pale waist, up past her tiny bellybutton, right up to the edge of the cloth that allowed the bottom curve of her breasts to be visible.

He stood utterly frozen, his neck heating up significantly as she continued to struggle with the cloth and stumble toward him. "Mashiro. What'd you do to my top?!" she exclaimed fighting with the piece of clothing. "Put it back right now! I have to go see the Captain and I can't do that with..."

Her angry words were cut off as she stumbled and fell right into Kensei's chest. He quickly caught her to keep her from falling but in doing so his hands came in contact with her soft bare skin. His neck became a deep red as he fought to keep the color off his face.

"Wait...is that...?" she tried to ask, but her voice trailed off and he figured she knew who was actually there.

At the close proximity, he could see that somehow Mashiro had managed to tie the top of the uniform up using kido in such a way that it had tied her arms above her head and kept her from pulling on or off. "I see the problem," he grumbled trying not to think about how much of her he'd seen just then. He reached up and broke the kido binding it together, allowing the cloth and her arms to finally drop, covering the exposed area once more.

As soon as it was fixed, Yukiko lifted her head nervously and her eyes locked with his, her cheeks darkening as she wondered just how much he'd been able to see. "I-I'm so sorry, Captain," she exclaimed bowing at the waist after stepping back from him.

He was glad she had, considering he'd been tempted to pull her closer...much closer. "Don't worry about it," he growled making sure she couldn't see just how bothered he'd been. "It obviously wasn't your fault." He turned away from her and headed out the door. "I'll just make sure to kill Mashiro later."

*End Flashback*

"Wow, was she just coming out of the shower or something?" Shinji asked in complete awe. He couldn't decide whether to congratulate Mashiro for such a well laid trap or sympathize with his friend. Based of the glare he was receiving, he figured siding with his friend would be safer. "So then, is the mighty Kensei falling to his primal urges?" Well, he reasoned it'd still be alright to tease him a bit.

"Like hell I am," Kensei roared jumping up.

"I don't know, Kensei, a lesser man would have caved by now," Shinji pointed out. "I know seeing her in that situation even I'd be tempted to do more than just touch."

"You make it sound like I did more than catch her," Kensei grunted in irritation. "Keep your sick fantasies to yourself."

"Look, I get it. The attraction's obviously there but you're holding yourself back because of the rule about captains having relationships," the squad 5 captain cut in before the larger man could snap him in two. "Mashiro really seems to be making that nearly impossible though. If you're looking for advice, maybe you should just explain the situation to your lieutenant. She might understand and stop."

"Yeah, right. Like I'd ever explain anything to that brat," the squad 9 captain growled. "I just needed to vent...and look at options for a transfer."

"Think you won't be able to hold back if she stays around?"

"That's not it. She deserves a promotion...I just need to find a squad that has an opening," Kensei groaned leaning against the wall again. "I just like having options...just in case."

Shinji looked him over and let out a sigh. It was clear to him that his friend was doing everything he could to uphold his own moral code as well as keep from getting the both of them into trouble. The fact he'd admitted he was looking for options told him, his friend needed an out of some sort. Even if it was just a hypothetical one.

"Well, if nothing else...I just recently had my fifth seat position opened," he murmured reluctantly. He really would rather she not come to his squad, but he couldn't leave he pal hanging either. "If you really need to send her somewhere I'll look out for her."

He watched the larger captain look up at him and could see the tension slowly leave, though no emotion other than irritation could be seen in his eyes. "Heh, if it ever comes up I'll let you know," he grumbled as he started heading for the door. "Until then, I'll keep her around. She's got her uses after all."

With that he left and Shinji felt his gut shift uncomfortably. He hoped Kensei would be able to stay in control. Cause he was sure, if she ever came to be a part of his squad, she'd be in even more trouble.

* * *

Shippoman: Woah, looks like things are getting a little too hot for Kensei. At least he knows he's got an out if the need arises. Question is though, just how long will he hold out before he takes that out? Stay tuned! And please remember to R&amp;R. All views are appreciated...even if you don't like it for whatever reason please tell me so I can make it better. :D


	26. A Dream or a Nightmare

Shippoman: So before I start the next chapter I wanted to give a quick shout out to EaSnow and Natsushinigami for reviewing. It always makes my day to see your reviews. Thanks :D

Now, back to the story

* * *

Chapter 26: A Dream, or a Nightmare

Yukiko tossed and turned on her bed before just staring at her ceiling unable to sleep. It was the third night in a row she wasn't able to sleep. It didn't help matters that for the past week or so she had to work through several embarrassing moments brought on by Mashiro. Of course being seen wearing a pretty Yukata by her captain hadn't been too bad, especially since it seemed he liked it. No the worse part was when she'd been tricked into using the Lieutenant's shower and then had to fight her way out of her shihaksho.

She could remember quite vividly the embarrassment that filled her as she realized Kensei had entered the room while she could feel the air and cloth brushing over her belly. To make matters worse, she tripped and fell into him and she could feel his hands on her sides. She'd nearly felt her brain fry when she felt his callouses on her skin and internally freaked out over just how much he'd been able to see.

When she'd finally gotten loose, she looked to see what his thoughts were on the situation, but couldn't see anything. It was as if nothing happened.

Yukiko rolled over trying to erase the incident from her brain and failing. He probably thought she'd done it on purpose...but it wasn't her fault Mashiro was insane.

Realizing she wasn't going to get any sleep any time soon, she got to her feet, pulled her shihaksho on and stepped out her door. She knew she'd been ordered not to have any late night training...but she didn't really have anything else to do to ware herself out.

As she debated on what would be the best way to kill time, she was interrupted by another squad member who obviously couldn't sleep. "Kaname, couldn't sleep either huh?" she asked sheepishly.

"I just returned from a late mission," he replied easily. "Are you doing alright?"

"Yeah," she sighed heavily. "No matter how hard I try though, I can't seem to fall asleep."

"Well, have you tried getting in some training?" he asked. "You used to every night."

"Yeah, but after our mission with the transforming hollow, the captain ordered me to quit those," she groaned. "I'd rather not get on his bad side either."

"I'm sure the reason he said this is because you used to instead of sleeping," Tousen pointed out. "I doubt he'll hold it against you too much if it's to help you fall asleep."

"Well...I guess you've got a point," Yukiko murmured to herself. "Maybe I really should. I'm so tired..."

"I could always help you drift off," Tousen suggested.

"Oh right...cause Suzumushi can put your opponent to sleep," Yukiko nodded in understanding. "Thanks for the offer, but I think I'll just go train for a bit. Besides, there's a skill I'm so close to finishing."

"I see, I suppose I should leave you to it then," Tousen murmured with a nod of his head. "Have a good night."

"Thanks, see ya tomorrow, Kaname," she replied giving him a wave as he walked away. "Well, might as well get started." Stretching, she started heading out of the barracks. As tired as she was she couldn't fall asleep, so maybe if she exhausted herself she'd be finally be able to...and maybe she wouldn't have any dreams about her captain...maybe.

* * *

Once again it was a sleepless night for Kensei. He attempted to go to bed only to discover that his Lieutenant had once again taken it upon herself to sleep there without telling him or asking him for that matter. Thinking he'd wait her out, or maybe exhaust himself enough to sleep on the couch, he left his room and went for a walk outside the barracks.

The night was a little chilly but beautiful with all the stars in the sky and he felt himself relaxing in the calm. Just as he was feeling relaxed enough to return to his room, a sudden spike in energy shattered the peace and he rushed to the area where he'd felt the spike originate from. Not surprisingly when he got there he found Yukiko once more having a late night training session.

He stayed hidden near the barracks for a long while, watching her shift her blade here and there, moving as gracefully as if she was dancing. He waited for her to pause in her training to exit the shadows and address his tenth seat. After all, considering the fact he'd asked her not to do this, he wanted to make sure she wasn't just ignoring his order.

"Oh, Captain!" Yukiko exclaimed as soon as he made himself known. "I know what this looks like, but I'm only doing this to try and help myself get to sleep... I swear if I could go to sleep right now I wouldn't be out here."

Kensei waved away her explanation realizing he'd jumped to conclusions and decided to let it slide this time.

"I guess this means Mashiro stole your bed again?" she guessed. It was a teasing comment but it still irked him slightly. "Well, maybe I can help you kill a little time."

"And how would you do that?" he asked as he forcefully removed his initial thought of how they'd kill some time.

"Well, I've been working on something and I think I've finally got the hang of it," she answered excitedly. "I wanted to show it you...just to see what you think."

Kensei gestured for her to go ahead with her demonstration and was surprised when she took a hold of his hand and pulled him next to her before starting. The soft flesh he'd remembered lightly rubbing against his own rough callouses. She calmed her breathing, slightly raised her hands and then began lifting them one at a time. Each time she lifted one of her hands, a burst of reiatsu appeared where it was directed acting as a small shield.

He was stunned as she was able to have mini wind barriers crop up everywhere she directed it, including behind them. They were all single walls that would appear here and there, but every once in awhile she'd make a full circular barrier around a tree. Then with a flourish, she lifted both hands into the air causing her wind barrier to surround the two of them and topped it off with a dome like top. With the barrier still going she began explaining what she'd done.

"So, after my first trip to the Kuchiki manner, I realized that although my barrier could surround me entirely, it left much to be desired as far as flexibility in uses went," she told him. "Attacks could easily come in from above and if there was someone I wanted to protect that wasn't next to me I would be unable to do so."

He only barely heard her words rushing over him. The barriers that had cropped up were amazing and he was trying to ignore the fact that he was practically drowning in her scent which swirled within the tiny space between them. His eyes focused entirely on the girl's back.

"So, I figured out a way to have smaller bursts of barrier appear wherever I direct them. I can even have one appear up to 50 feet away. Plus I added in the dome top which I can actually do on it's own as well," she continued without turning around. It almost seemed as if she thought she'd be unable to explain herself is she was looking at him.

"What'd she say?" he wondered distantly. None of her words were penetrating his slowly numbing mind. As he stared at her back, his mind slowly drew up the memory of what was beneath the cloth. He could clearly see the gentle curves of her waist and the lightly, gentle flesh that lay just out of sight. His mind then took it upon itself to draw up every memory of seeing any of her skin and slowly piece together all the parts he'd seen before filling in the gaps with his own imagination.

"Then I realized that with my new type of mission, this ability would be able to stop my targets without hurting them, so I put it all together to make an almost cage," she finally finished.

As she finished her explanation, he'd gotten to the point where every shift of her body was made obvious to him as he continued to see her without her uniform on. He'd felt it once before, and that part of his brain wanted to again. One of his hands lifted, wanting to turn her around and take a hold of her, but he somehow managed to hold himself back, still fighting the growing urge inside him. She was absolutely gorgeous and her voice was a melody drawing him ever closer. His entire body was heating with each passing second, begging him to act...

She was so proud of what she'd been able to accomplish that she really wanted his feedback. Hearing it would mean everything to her and she was about to simply ask for it when an old thought crossed her mind. It was a stupid idea, one that Mashiro had suggested she try out but she'd never found the courage to do so.

As the forbidden thought crossed her mind she felt herself asking her question, the thought dictating what words were used. "So, what do you think, Kensei?" she asked turning to look at him.

He was only dimly aware that her explanation had finished and his eyes shifted to her head, watching her hair flutter in the wind of her barrier and seeing the slightest tinge of pink on her cheeks. Then as she turned toward him as if in slow motion, her full lips came into focus beneath her gently curved nose and the excited, sparkling eyes.

Finally, her question washed over him and he heard her cautiously murmur his name. His first name. It was like a switch had been flipped in his brain as the single word slipped past her full lips. He felt himself moving forward, his hand reaching up and gently latching onto the back of her head, pulling her toward him. Then he felt those full lips against his own, the taste of honey filled his mouth, and her plum blossom scent swirled around him.

As soon as he made contact, he felt her stiffen, and then go lax in his arms. He started moving his lips against hers, and she tentatively began following his lead. The longer the kiss lasted, the more limp she seemed to become and the wind barrier surrounding them dissipated all together. There was a small part of him that attempted to explain to the drowning captain what he was doing, but at the moment he was so filled with pent up desire and passion he didn't even hear it.

Eventually he pulled away and looked down at those full lips he'd just tasted. Her eyes were closed and her breath was coming in short pants. He gently stroked her cheeks, the skin soft beneath his fingertips, and his other hand traced along her side, feeling the curves that the uniform normally hid and silently wishing he could feel the flesh there once more. Her hands were against his bare chest, as the wind had moved his shihakusho open a little, and twitched slightly.

He wanted her, there was no use denying it anymore. He wanted to take this tiny girl back to his room...or maybe her room as his own bed was occupied. His eyes raked down her face, the closed eyes, the parted, shivering lips. Down her front as far as he was able as their bodies were pressed so closely together he couldn't see all of her any longer. He wanted her alone, and all to himself. He wanted her small soft hands to touch more places than just his chest. He could see himself slowly peeling away the shihaksho and then...

The sudden direction his thoughts were taking him violently jolted Kensei back to his senses as if he'd been dreaming. He glanced down again and suddenly realized what he'd done and was still doing. The sudden realization made him quickly pull away from her and retreat as far away from her as he could.

By the time she'd opened her eyes, he was long gone and she had to wonder if maybe she'd imagined the whole thing. The only indication any of it had actually happened was the slight tingle that remained on her lips, and side.

* * *

Yukiko didn't sleep very well that night. Once she'd returned to her room, she spent the night tossing and turning finding it utterly impossible to slip into blissful unconsciousness. Each hour, each minute was spent going over the few minutes of her revealing her growth to her captain...and the kiss that followed.

She'd be lying if she said the contact hadn't been enjoyed. She'd loved every second of it, but what she didn't get was why he left right afterwards and what his leaving meant. She would have been understanding if he'd told her he couldn't do it for whatever reason: the law, he didn't want a weakness, any of the normal stuff. Even if he'd just said "I'm sorry" or "Forget this happened" or anything, she'd at least understood it was a one time deal. The lack of anything made her worried. What was he thinking?

When the sun rose and the light drifted in through her window, she decided sleeping was futile and just got up, heading in for breakfast. Luckily, she was the first one there and was able to eat in peace. She didn't really feel like running into her four friends or her lieutenant. They'd all see something was wrong and want her to explain to them what it was. But how was she supposed to explain she'd practically made out with their captain?

All throughout breakfast she tried and failed to get the incident out of her head. By the time she'd finished eating, she'd decided to ask him to talk to her alone. If nothing else she needed their current relationship spelled out for her so she could understand where she stood in his eyes. She knew she'd never be able to move on without it.

So, as soon as she was finished, she left the cafeteria before anyone else appeared and made her way to her captain's office, knowing he'd be awake even at this early hour. It didn't take her too long to reach his door, and she paused just outside it trying to work up the courage to go inside and figure out what words to use to express what was going on inside her confused mind.

After a few more moments, she took a deep breath and stepped inside. "Kensei...I really need to talk to you, could you spare a few minutes?" she asked nervously. It wasn't until his dark eyes locked on hers that she realized she'd used his first name again and that was probably not going to help her in any way.

He glared at her only for a few seconds before diverting his gaze to the papers before him. Yukiko could easily see that there were shadows beneath his eyes, meaning he hadn't slept much either. Then her eyes slid to his lips and her face turned beet red as she forced herself to look away as well.

"It's Captain Muguruma, remember," he growled out, shifting one of the stacks around until he found the paper he'd been searching for. "But I won't be that for much longer anyway."

"Uh, what are you talking about?" she asked with a nervous laugh.

"Yukiko...congratulations. You've been promoted to 5th seat," he announced without looking up at her. He held out the paper he'd found and she slowly went to retrieve it, almost as if in a daze. "Get your stuff packed. You leave for squad 5 tomorrow."

"W-wait, what?!" she exclaimed taking the paper and scanning it quickly. Her heart plummeted at his words and she couldn't keep the confusion out of her voice. "Y-you're transferring me, sir?"

"It's a promotion," he grunted. "You're well over due and squad 5 is the only one that had an opening. Everything's already been settled. You just have to sign that by the end of today."

Yukiko stared at the paper in her hand and saw that it had already been filled out and okayed by both her captain and Captain Hirako. Which meant, her transfer is the reason he'd stayed up all night. He'd been working on it from the moment the kiss ended. They'd crossed that boundary, and this was his answer. He didn't want her around anymore, he was getting rid of her.

"So then...you don't need me here anymore?" she asked weakly.

"It's not good for you to stay in only one squad your whole career," he told her firmly. "You need to branch out more and see how other squads run things."

Yukiko didn't know what to say. She realized he was trying to disprove her question, but really he'd only strengthened her belief. He really didn't want her there any longer and was trying to make it look like a good move for her...and for the squad. She felt her eyes sting as her fragile heart began to crack under the pressure of holding everything inside.

Eventually she nodded dully and bowed respectfully at the waist. "Thank you for the opportunity, Captain," she almost whispered. Then she moved over to the wall, signed the paper and gave it back to him. "I'll be ready to move in the morning." With that, she turned and slowly walked out the door. A part of her wished that he would tell her they'd miss her in the squad, or that it had been a privilege to work with her, or that she was going to do amazing in her new squad...but nothing came. Not a single word.

With no one before her and her captain behind her unable to see her face, Yukiko allowed two single tears to slide down her cheeks as she left the office. Squad 9 had given her everything, every opportunity to succeed that no one else had even thought possible for her, and now she was forced to leave it. Her eyes became almost dead panes of green revealing absolutely nothing. After all, she was once again being abandoned.

* * *

Shippoman: Oh so close...well the two finally took that step and kissed, but it looks like Kensei's reaction to it could have been better. He went and transferred her, totally crushing any hope she may have had left. Will Yukiko be able to handle this crushing blow or will she revert back to her shy and timid ways? Stay tuned to find out and please remember to R&amp;R. :D


	27. A New Start

Chapter 27: A New Start

Kensei watched as Yukiko left feeling his gut churn unpleasantly. He'd noticed the tears of confusion well up in her eyes as she took the paper, signed it, and left. It was obvious she'd been trying to hide it, so he didn't acknowledge it. That and he knew he'd be unable to control himself if he did. It'd been hard enough to see her enter the room without trying to hold her again.

He groaned and rubbed his forehead in frustration. After everything he'd done over the past two or so years, he'd told her to leave. It had left a bad taste in his mouth, but he knew it was for the best. That's what he'd tried to tell himself at least, as his mind slowly but surely settled on the conversation he'd had with Shinji the night before.

*Flashback*

After kissing Yukiko, Kensei had immediately finished up his portion of the transfer paperwork and took it over to squad 5 himself. He needed it to be signed that night. The sooner she transferred the better.

As soon as he arrived at the other captain's office, he slammed the door open, startling the man before slamming it close once again. He was in such an irritated mood, even startling the smaller captain brought him no joy. "Shinji, you're going to transfer Yukiko into your squad," he declared slamming the paper in front of the blonde.

Shinji rubbed his forehead having been up much later than he'd intended finishing his own paperwork. Now he wished he'd gone to bed when he had the chance. "I thought you said you'd only use that if you had to," he sighed looking the paperwork over. "What made you change your mind?" He was trying to be teasing to ease the tension in the room but that didn't go over so well.

"Just sign the transfer order," Kensei growled ignoring the question.

Shinji managed to catch the slightest hint of distress in the larger captain's voice and he looked up at him slowly. "Hang on, did _the_ _great_ Kensei lose control?" he asked scathingly. "No, that would never happen."

Kensei glared at him and a low growl slipped out of his throat. "That's not it."

Shinji sighed showing that all playfulness aside he needed to know. "Kensei, honestly, what did you do to want to transfer her?"

"Just sign the damn paperwork," Kensei grunted.

"I won't sign anything until you tell me why you need this all of a sudden," Shinji replied firmly.

"It's..." Kensei groaned a ran a hand through his hair. Suddenly Shinji was able to see the smallest amount of worry and regret seeping through his guard. "It's to protect her from me alright. Now just sign the damn paper."

Shinji groaned as he realized this wasn't going away any time soon. "Look, Kensei, I know I said before that we had an opening for 5th seat," he began slowly. "But to be honest this isn't the best time to be sending her here."

"Why the hell not?"

"I'm worried that her coming here would put her in more danger," Shinji muttered easily. "I understand that you don't want her getting into trouble, but frankly you really should man up and get control over yourself before dumping her somewhere else. I don't know what exactly it is that you did, but something tells me she's going to need to process it."

"She'll be just fine," Kensei grunted. "You and your lieutenant will keep an eye on her after the transfer."

"That's just it, Kensei." This time, it was Shinji's turn to growl in irritation as he got to his feet. "I don't want her anywhere near my Lieutenant. He's been far to concerned with her growth and whether or not she'll be transferring. I'd rather not find out why."

"Tch, she'll be fine," Kensei muttered. "She's too strong and smart to fall for that guy's tricks."

Shinji sighed and sat back down rubbing his forehead. "You're not going to let this go, are you?" he asked glaring up at the larger man.

"Shinji, she's been scrutinized enough," Kensei declared firmly. "The last thing she needs is something like this to add to it."

Finally, Shinji sighed, shook his head, and signed the paperwork. As soon as he was finished, Kensei moved away from the wall he'd been leaning against and took the paper before turning to leave. "Kensei," Shinji called out before the silver haired captain could leave. "I know you want to protect her, just keep in mind that the law only really applies in the one situation."

*End Flashback*

Kensei ran his fingers through his hair to try and calm his frayed nerves. He'd known the law only applied as long as she was in his squad, but that didn't mean anything. With her leaving, he'd finally be able to regain control and keep himself from pursuing her again. Things'll just be so much simpler once she moved. He'd finally be able to relax.

* * *

By the next morning, Yukiko was packed and ready to leave for her new squad. The previous day was spent relaying what she knew about the promotion and transfer to the rest of the squad, or at least those closer to her. This meant watching Mashiro getting upset before rushing off to find their captain, having the 3rd - 6th seats congratulate her on her new position, and having her four friends trying to decide whether to be outraged or supportive.

All accept for Kouga decided to go with supportive and decided to prepare a party for her send off. She really wanted to pass on the party, but they somehow managed to trick her into arriving anyway. The party lasted most of the night and had people coming and going especially those that had been assigned missions.

It had been nice to see all her squad members once more and have them wish her luck in her new squad. Somehow, it made her feel that much better. The only problem...her captain never once made an appearance. Granted she didn't feel as if she'd be capable of facing him, but it still hurt knowing he never made the attempt.

Yukiko paused near the edge of her squad area thinking about everything she was leaving behind and trying hard not to cry. Very little sleep coupled with everything that'd happened the past couple days only made this harder. She stared out onto the rest of the seireitei wondering if and when she'd ever be able to return before having something heavy land on her back, knocking her to the ground.

"No! Ume can't leave!"

Yukiko managed to lift herself up just enough to see green hair drift past her face. "Mashiro..." She had no idea what to say to make her lieutenant feel better, especially since she couldn't make herself any happier over it.

"Come on, Lieutenant Kuna, Yukiko needs to get going," Eishima chuckled lightly. He leaned forward and helped the lieutenant off the younger girl's back allowing her to get back to her feet. "Are you going to be alright, Yukiko?"

Said female turned to face him and realized he wasn't the only one that had come to see her off. Next to him stood the 4th seat Kazaki, the 6th seat Toudo and the 3rd seat Tousen. "Yeah, I'll be just fine," she murmured softly. "Thanks to my investigative missions, I've gotten to know a few members of squad 5. I won't be alone."

"Tch, he's more worried about you tackling your higher profiled missions as a 5th seat," Kazaki grunted.

"Oh, well I won't know until I try," Yukiko chuckled. It was clear to all of them she was putting up a front around them. "After everything I learned from you, I should be fine."

"Wah, don't go Ume!" Mashiro wailed as she clung to the younger girl's shoulders again. "It's just not fair."

"Lieutenant Kuna, she's not leaving forever," Tousen pointed out.

"Exactly, she'll only be a couple squads away," Eishima added reassuringly.

"In that case you'd better come visit!" Everyone glanced up to see that Sakagi, Kouga, Darui, and Harris had just arrived as well. "They'll all be insufferable if you don't." The speaker was Sakagi and he looked irritated at something.

"You are going to come visit occasionally, right?" Darui asked worriedly.

"I know you'll be busy with your new position, but it would be enjoyable to have you spar with us once more," Harris added gently.

"We'll come and drag you out here if you stay away for too long," Kouga promised with a smirk.

Yukiko looked the four of them over and felt her heart clench. It was going to be painful being away from the squad, but knowing they didn't hate her for it and would actually miss her made all the difference. "I guess...I'll just have to make sure I come by to spar then," she chuckled. This time it almost seemed real to those present.

"Promise?!" Mashiro demanded finally letting go of her shoulders.

"I promise, Mashiro. I'll come by to spar as often as I can," Yukiko declared. Her eyes were soft and trying not to fill with water as she tried to hide her body's shaking from the rest.

"In that case, good luck out there, Ume!" Kouga shouted enthusiastically. The others near him nodded in their agreement and Yukiko felt somewhat better because of it.

She looked over the group that came to see her off and felt her heart drop once more. Once again her Captain was nowhere to be seen. He really wanted nothing to do with her anymore...

"You're going to be late," Toudo muttered snapping her out of her depression.

"Right, thanks Toudo," she murmured gently. "I guess I'll see you all next time."

With that she turned and left, hearing her friends call out several heart felt goodbyes as she disappeared from the squad 9 barracks. It took everything she had not to turn around. After all, even if her captain no longer wanted her, she still had plenty of friends that wanted her to succeed. She couldn't let them down.

A few hours later, she stepped into the squad 5 barracks, moving toward the captain's office to announce her arrival. Unlike her arrival at squad 9, she was actually on time and didn't feel nearly as terrified by the prospect.

She slowly stepped up to the captain's office and went inside, not surprised to see a large group of soul reapers already in the room. "Hey, Yukiko, right on time," Shinji greeted cheerfully. "Before you are all the seated officers in squad 5."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Yukiko greeted the group with a bow. Mentally she applauded herself on not stuttering her greeting. "I'm Yukiko, and I'm your new 5th seat."

A few of the officers before her nodded in greeting while others were whispering a few things to each other. "Yukiko here was just promoted from her position as the 10th seat of squad 9," Shinji announced easily. "So make her feel at home, alright guys."

"Yukiko...10th seat? Does that mean you're the one that was responsible for us losing our previous 5th seat?" one of the officers called out.

Yukiko swallowed feeling as if the introduction was taking a hard left turn. Slowly she nodded and waited for the angry shouts to follow. To her surprise, something else did.

"No way! That's awesome!" the same one shouted, clearly impressed.

"So then she's the one that fought and defeated our 5th seat?" another one asked in awe.

"That's pretty sweet. I'd heard she was really timid and unreliable and stuff," another muttered almost to himself. "They must have been mistaken. There's no way this girl's timid."

"Hey, does this mean you're actually able to knock people off their feet just with your reiatsu?" yet another called out.

Yukiko nodded again not sure what was happening as a few started laughing in amazement. "Gosh, squad 9 doesn't know what they let go," an officer near the front grunted. He had a smirk covering his scarred face and long dark hair that was pulled back in a pony tail. "If you're as good as the rumors say, we really lucked out."

Yukiko blushed at this and Shinji smirked over that fact. He figured she'd never had anyone so excited to see her before and was secretly proud of his men for reacting like they did. "Alright guys, introductions are over so it's time you get on with your missions," he called out before anyone else could say or ask anything. "You'll have plenty of time to get to know the new girl so move it."

There were a few disappointed grumbles as the men got to their feet and left the room, a few shooting her welcoming or excited smiles before disappearing. "I don't understand," Yukiko murmured softly. "Why...weren't they upset at me for arresting your previous 5th seat?"

"Oh him," Shinji chuckled at that as he moved back toward his desk and sat down. "They guy was a prick and no one in the squad liked to deal with him if they could help it. Plus he was seriously marring the squad's reputation. We practically threw a party after he was carted off."

"Oh, I see," Yukiko hummed. She was glad to know no one hated her and they even seemed to like the fact she'd joined. Maybe...maybe the move was actually a good thing after all. "Where's Lieutenant Aizen?" She'd noticed that gentle lieutenant hadn't been present and was curious as to why.

Shinji was a little concerned by the question as he had no idea exactly what spurred it on. Still, he felt it'd be in bad taste to ignore it. "I sent him on a mission earlier this morning. He should be back in a few hours."

"Oh, okay," she mumbled dejectedly.

"Anyway, go put your stuff away and feel free to tour around," Shinji continued pulling out his paperwork for the day. "I won't have anything for you to work on until tomorrow so you can use today to get acquainted with where everything is. If you need any help, just ask my 3rd seat. He's waiting for you just outside the door to show you where your room is."

Yukiko looked toward the door and then back to Shinji. "Thank you, Captain Hirako," she expressed with a deep bow. "I look forward to working with you."

"Ugh, it's gonna be boring as hell if you keep up that overly formal attitude," Shinji groaned. "Just be yourself and you'll be fine."

"Of course..." Yukiko bade her captain farewell once more before heading out the door and off to bed.

As she disappeared through the door, Shinji's cheerful facade faded and he frowned in irritation. "Dammit, Kensei, what did you do?" he growled to himself. "Looks like I've really got my work cut out for me...trying to get her back to square one. Perfect."

* * *

Shippoman: Well it looks like Yukiko's been well received in her new squad and knows that she will always have friends in her old one. The question now though is how long will she be depressed and will Shinji ever learn exactly what it was Kensei did? Stay tuned and please remember to R&amp;R.


	28. Someone To Depend On

Chapter 28: Someone To Depend On

Everything was peaceful as Yukiko stood on the tiny bridge that stretched over a small stream that ran through squad 5. It was a beautiful day, sunny with just enough of a breeze to keep from being too hot. Unfortunately, her thoughts weren't nearly as clear as the sky. It'd been a week since her transfer and this was the first day she'd opted not to stay in her room. The only time she'd really come out before was for food and missions.

She stared up at the sky and almost glared at the sparse clouds, daring any of them to move in front of the sun. She really needed this time to be perfect...before heading out for her next mission. She stayed there for awhile looking from the few clouds in the sky to the water beneath her feet. Before she decided it was time to head out, though, her peace was interrupted.

"Lieutenant Aizen? You were gone for quite awhile," she murmured without looking up. She never did need to look up to know it was him, not as long as the wind was blowing anyway. All because of his unique choice in cologne. "Did your mission really take that long?"

"It's good to see you, Yukiko," Aizen greeted, coming up alongside her. "I apologize for missing your welcome into the squad. But yes, the mission I was assigned did take much longer than I anticipated."

"Well, for what it's worth, it's good to have you back," she expressed lightly, turning just enough to give him a sad smile.

"Hmm, I was going to wish you congratulations on being promoted to 5th seat, but I see you aren't too happy about the appointment," he expressed slowly. "Care to share?"

Yukiko shook her head knowing there was no use trying to convince him she was fine. "No...it's nothing anyone can fix. I just have to get over it," she murmured sadly.

"If you didn't want the promotion, why didn't you just decline it?" Aizen asked curiously.

Her body shook slightly despite her best efforts and she knew he noticed. "Because...I could tell he didn't want me around anymore." Her voice was nothing more than a squeak as she answered, but he was still able to understand the words. "There wouldn't have been any reason to stick around if he didn't want me to be there."

"I see," Aizen sighed. "I'm sorry about that, but for what it's worth, I'm quite pleased to have you in our squad."

Yukiko suppressed a giggle as she straightened up and this time smiled fully at him. "Thanks...I don't know how I'd be doing right now if I didn't have yours and Captain Hirako's full acceptance," she murmured honestly.

"I'm very pleased to have been a help to you," he chuckled. He reached up and gently patted her shoulder. "As your superior, I'll always be here if you ever need an ear. As a member of squad 5, you should feel like you can depend on me...as well as our captain."

"Right...well I should probably head out," she sighed stretching a bit before walking down the bridge. She was grateful to him and knew that if she needed something and her captain wasn't around...he'd at least be willing to help her. "I've got a mission at squad 3 today so I should get moving. Thanks again...Lieutenant Aizen."

"Yukiko, I feel we've become close enough to where titles are not necessary, don't you?" he asked with a coy smile.

She thought it over for a moment before returning his smile with one of her own. "Yeah, I guess you're right," she agreed with a nod. "Alright then, have a good day, Aizen." With that she took off heading to the next squad over.

* * *

It always amazed Yukiko how quickly news traveled. Just walking through squad 3 she realized just how many people she'd met the last time she'd been there, as they all wished her congratulations on her new promotion. It was both cool and depressing just how many people seemed to know she transferred.

Her mission today was something similar to the first one she ever took to squad 3 as it involved delivering something to the captain. Unfortunately, she really didn't like interacting with Captian Koizumi if she could help it...not since he'd given her that candy that caused her to be bed ridden for the rest of the night and into the next day.

This thought stayed in her mind as she reached the door to the squad 3 captain's office and pushed the door open. "Captain Koizumi, I have something for you from Captain Hirako," she greeted without looking up.

"I see, so the rumors of you transferring are true," a mellow voice murmured softly. "I take it by your expression the change isn't going well."

Confused, Yukiko glanced up to see, not the old man she was expecting, but the long blonde hair that could only belong to Rojuro Otoriboshi of squad 7. "Rose? What are you doing here?" she asked feeling like an idiot as the words left her mouth. It was only obvious why he was there, if the captain's haori on his back was any indication.

"I've recently been promoted as the captain of squad 3," he explained taking his seat behind the desk. He smiled at her and gestured for her to take a seat in one of the chairs in front of him. She did dumbly and continued to stare unsure of how she was supposed to react. "So then, I suppose Shinji has sent a congratulatory gift."

"Huh?" Yukiko looked from his expectant expression to the package in her hands and back startling her back into what was before her. "Y-yeah I guess so. He didn't actually say what it was. He didn't even tell me you were the captain now. I thought I was going to have to refuse another of those soapy candies from Captain Koizumi."

"They are rather tasteless aren't they," Rose laughed taking the package and beginning to open it right there. When it was open, he pulled out what appeared to be a magazine from the human world. "I see he discovered where Lisa gets her books. I'll have to thank him later for getting me the latest issue. This way I won't have to wait for her and Love to finish reading hers before getting a chance myself. They always do spoil the best parts."

"Um, Ro...I-I mean Captain Otoriboshi, when exactly were you promoted?" Yukiko asked still stunned to see him sitting in the captain's office.

"It's still okay to refer to me as Rose, you know. Let's see now...my promotion was about 3 days ago," he murmured after a moment's thought. "I only just finished getting all my stuff moved and am finally starting to feel at home again."

"How do you do it? How do you get through being a part of a different squad?" she asked almost shrinking in despair.

Rose took a moment to think over the question and how best to apply it to the younger female before answering. "Yukiko, what seat are you in your new squad?"

"5th...why?"

"And how many seated officers are beneath you? How many will be looking to you in a crisis when those above you are absent?"

"Um...15 I guess."

"Precisely. There are 15 or more men and women in squad 5 that are looking to you to be a guide," Rose declared. "Are you really about to abandon all of them all for the sake of clinging to your old squad?"

"Well...no. I mean I've been doing my job...I haven't failed a mission or anything..."

"How many new squad members have you met?"

"What?"

"Have you learned any new names in squad 5 since joining?"

"N-no." Her shoulders slumped and she realized she'd been neglecting her squad. Hiding away in her room until it was necessary to come out. She remembered how excited the squad members seemed to be when she first entered. How badly had she damaged their view of her?

"Yukiko, transferring is actually a rather big honor," Rose told her gently.

"Is it really?" He nodded but there was a part of her that still didn't believe it. "But...but what about squad 7? Didn't it hurt...you know, to leave it?" she asked almost desperate to understand.

"Of course, but it's not like I'll never see them again," he pointed out.

"No...but...doesn't being transferred feel like they didn't want you anymore?"

Rose gave her a pointed look silently asking for her to explain why she thought that way, but she ignored it. "No, I have never felt that squad 7 was simply getting rid of me," he answered easily. "See, a promotion is in many ways a sign of good faith. A way of showing you that your superiors believe you're ready for something more."

"Kensei doesn't feel that way," Yukiko muttered bitterly. She felt tears build up in her eyes as she thought about her send off.

"I wouldn't be so certain of that," Rose chuckled lightly. He noted her use of the captain's first name and realized what the main issue was.

"I could tell!" Yukiko exclaimed, the frustration and irritation from that day finally spilling out all at once. "He wouldn't talk to me, he barely even looked at me when he gave me the transfer paperwork, and he never showed up to send me off!"

Rose laughed again, shaking his head and placing a hand against his forehead in a dramatic fashion. "Yukiko, you really must understand what sort of man Kensei is before all of that truly makes sense," he told her soothingly. She looked at him in confusion and he continued. "See, he is a pigheaded, emotionally stunted, and rather shy man."

She had to admit the first two she could see, but Kensei...being shy? There was no way. "I fail to see how any of that explains the way he was acting," she grumbled.

"Allow me to explain," Rose offered gently. "See, Kensei's the sort of man who refuses to allow anyone to realize something is bothering him. In fact he'll completely avoid whatever it is until he feels he can handle it again. See, he stubbornly feels that it is impossible for him to lose control over himself or give in to any form of emotion. So, when he does, he has to take the time necessary for him to come to grips with that fact and deal with it in his own way to avoid any embarrassing moments."

Yukiko blinked a bit trying to fit everything together. With Rose's explanation she was finally able to understand why after the "incident" he avoided looking at her, and refused to talk about it...but why didn't he send her off?

Rose was able to catch the little bit of confusion in her face and decided to find out more. "So, what exactly did he do when you left?"

"Nothing...that's the problem," she sighed heavily. "Everyone threw me a going away party...which he never showed up for, and then everyone really close to me showed up as I was leaving to give me a proper send off. But he didn't show up for that one either."

"I see...well, did you ever think he did that for you?" Rose asked curiously.

"For me?! What do you mean?"

"Yukiko, when someone is promoted it is a show of confidence on their part for you," he explained easily. "Every time I went drinking with him he would always talk about how proud he was of the progress you were making. So, him not showing up was just how he was able to keep from trying to change his mind and keep you all to himself. Being promoted is a good opportunity to any soul reaper...he didn't want to ruin that for you by falling to his desire to keep you around."

Yukiko blinked several times, having never expected that. She always believed Kensei to be unmovable or unshakable. To find that he was worried about possibly losing control and screwing up her shot at advancing was unbelievable.

"The best way to deal with Kensei when he gets into one of these avoidance moods, is to give him time until he figures out how he wants to deal with it," Rose finished up knowingly.

Was it really that simple? She remembered how irritated he'd seemed that morning when she'd walked in and asked to talk about it. Somehow, she suddenly felt like she'd really pushed the issue. Maybe far too much even. Was it really just him trying to figure out what he wanted from that incident himself?

A feeling of peace washed over Yukiko as she thought this new information through and she smiled at Rose. "Thanks. I...actually really needed that," she murmured softly.

"Good to hear," Rose murmured. "So then, what are you going to do now?"

"What else?!" Yukiko exclaimed hopping to her feet with a wide grin on her face. "Start acting like a 5th seat for one. Then I'll simply do the best I can. I've got a lot of people counting on me to do my job and I'm not about to let any of them down."

"Very well." Rose got to his feet and went around his desk stopping before her and fingering the short strands that were long enough to tickle her ears. "Do stop by whenever you need to chat. Or at least get your hair trimmed. I'd hate for it to grow out only to be damaged beyond repair."

Yukiko laughed at this and nodded excitedly. "You bet. See ya later Rose!" And with that she left squad 3 rushing back to tell Shinji the good news. She was back and in some ways better than before. She had a plan in motion. She'd be the best 5th seat ever and prove she can handle herself to her squad...and to Kensei. All the while she'd be waiting for him to figure out what it was he wanted from her. But until that day came...she'd allow herself a fantasy...or two.

* * *

Shippoman: Yay! Yukiko's back to her old self, thanks to Rose's smooth talking and personal insight into Kensei's personality. She's really lucky to have so many people willing to be someone she can lean on, but now she has to be that support for everyone with a lower seat than her. I really hope I played this out well and didn't make Kensei sound like a sissy. But honestly I figured that's probably how most of Kensei's friends viewed his tantrums. At any rate, from here on out Yukiko's going to carry on, getting stronger and closer to those around her. But just how close does she want to get? Stay tuned, because the next two years are going to go by quickly. And please remember to R&amp;R.


	29. Too Much Attention

Chapter 29: Too Much Attention

A few hours after her departure from squad 3, Yukiko returned to her own squad and stopped just outside her captain's office. She took a moment to calm herself and remove the overly giddy smile from her face before entering. She didn't want to give away the fact she was so happy right away. No, first things first.

When she felt she was ready, she stepped inside and walked right up to her captain's desk as he continued to sort through his mountain of paperwork. "You all finished, Yukiko?" he asked casually. Of course he knew she was there.

"Yes, sir," she answered without revealing her all too obvious change. She was glad he hadn't looked up yet since doing so would probably have given her away.

"Good. Did you learn any..." he started to ask until she plopped her fist down on top of his head. She'd seen Hiyori get away with beating him up and frankly she wanted to get one shot in before letting it slide. "What the hell was that for?"

Yukiko frowned at him wanting very much to giggle at his indignant expression. "Why didn't you tell me Rose became a captain?" she demanded crossing her arms.

Shinji stared at her, finally noticing the frown and irritation written in her features. He couldn't understand why his plan hadn't worked...though he had to admit she did seem livelier...so maybe it had at least a little bit. Still, though, what was with her question? And that strike? As far as he knew she'd never struck her captain before now.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he grumbled rubbing his head again. "I announced it to the entire squad when it happened. You were probably just spacing out again."

It was amazingly comical how quickly her irritated expression morphed into one of shock, then confusion, then finally embarrassment and apology. "I...see." She bowed fully at the waist once the realization hit her and squeaked. "I'm sorry I struck you, Captain. I wasn't really upset...but I thought you'd withheld the information on purpose and wanted to express my irritation with it. Then I remembered that Hiyori does this all the time and I felt it appropriate for the situation."

Shinji would have been angry with her if the apology wasn't so damn funny. It was obvious she hadn't actually wanted to hurt him and even more than that. The fact she was so emphatic about her position meant it'd worked entirely. She definitely seemed more like herself now. "Don't worry about it," he sighed leaning back in his chair. "Just tell me how your talk with Rose went."

She straightened back up and couldn't hold back her smile, which filled her entire face. "It went really well. I...finally feel like I understand what I'm supposed to be doing," she told him excitedly. "I'm sorry it took so long for me to get over myself but I can promise you my transfer won't be an issue any longer. I'm a 5th seat after all. I sure as heck can't allow myself to stay in a funk when plenty of members in the squad will be looking to me along with the other seated officers."

"Heh, 'bout time you figured that out," Shinji laughed. "Alright then, since you're feeling so excited about your promotion now, why don't you lead the training session today."

"S-seriously?" she exclaimed in surprise. "I...didn't know that was one of our duties as well."

"Your duties are whatever I tell you," he told her bluntly. "But seriously. Go ahead and head out and show the squad the new you. I'm sure they're dying to see what all the hubbub is really about."

Yukiko giggled lightly. She could get used to having a more humorous captain. "Yes, sir." With that she turned from him and walked over to the door, pausing with it halfway open. "Oh, and Captain, I promise...I'll be the best 5th seat you've ever had."

Shinji smirked at this. "Then prove it."

She grinned and nodded before disappearing through the door. As he watched her leave, he couldn't help but be pleased to see her acting her old self again. Now, she could continue to progress. He'd be able to watch her grow stronger and more confident in herself. Now, if only he could figure out what Aizen's fascination was with her and block it. He knew he really had his work cut out for him keeping an eye on that girl.

* * *

"Alright, that's all for today! Make sure you stretch and get some rest!"

Yukiko slowly sat on the grassy field as she watched the rest of the squad members, that had been training under her, stretch and then leave the training area. She was tired, but felt like she'd taken a step in the right direction. She could see in their eyes that she'd managed to impress the non-seated member today and that made it all worth it.

Little by little, the fatigue from training began catching up with her and she laid down with her hands behind her head, staring up at the cloud filled, darkening sky. Her mind was going through the events of the day as she watched the clouds moving before spying the first star of the night. Forcing herself to sit up, she stared at the star and silently made a wish that she'd soon be able to work things out with Kensei.

She must have been really out of it as she suddenly felt something cool rest against her forehead and she unconsciously leaned into it. "Ah, that feels really good," she murmured slowly.

"I'm sure it'll taste even better," a voice chuckled. "Care to try it?"

Yukiko smiled to herself as she looked up to see her new Lieutenant looking down at her with a bottle of cold water in her hand. Graciously, she took the bottle he'd been resting against her head and took a few gulps, savoring the feeling of the cold liquid sliding down her raw and dry throat. "Wow, thanks Aizen, I really needed that."

"Of course," he replied lowering himself to sit next to her. "You did a good job with training today. I just thought a little refreshment would do you some good."

"Hehe, thanks," Yukiko chuckled taking another drink. "Well, it's definitely working. What have you been up to today?"

"Nothing too strenuous," Aizen answered with a shrug. "There's always some paperwork to be filed and the captain asked me to go over some files regarding applications from the academy to join our squad."

"Huh, that's pretty cool," Yukiko murmured looking down at her drink. "Sounds kind of boring though. Is that why you came out here to watch the training?"

Aizen smiled at her in amusement. "Admittedly that is one of the reasons," he told her, and almost sounded embarrassed. "But there were other reasons as well."

"Really? Like what?" she asked curiously.

He took a moment to formulate his answer, before smiling at her once more. "Why, I was wanting to see how the rest of the squad reacted to the new you."

"The new...oh, so you heard my talk with the captain?" Yukiko asked, blushing slightly at the thought. It was rather embarrassing after all.

"Some of it," he conceded. "I know you plan to be the best 5th seat we've ever had."

"Ugh, it had to be that part," Yukiko groaned. She set the now empty bottle down before plopping back down on her back in the grass. "I know it was a cheesy line but I had to say it out loud."

"I know," Aizen murmured remaining seated. "I'm just pleased to see that you're back to your old self."

Yukiko blushed again as she stared back up at the sky. "Thanks...I know it took me awhile, but I promise you won't see me going back to that," she told him honestly. "I won't be letting anyone down. Not our squad, not the captain...and not you, Aizen."

"Hmm, that's good to hear," he hummed, a small smile playing across his face once more. Then after a few moments of peaceful silence, he got to his feet and offered his hand to the young 10th seat. Yukiko saw this and smiled, taking the offered hand and allowing him to pull her to her feet. "It's getting late, and I still have some paperwork left to finish. You should probably take this chance to eat, while dinner is still warm."

"Yeah, you're right," Yukiko acknowledged. She was tired and her head was starting to feel a little dizzy. As she turned to look at the lieutenant and tell him good night, a gust of wind rushed past and she saw a few ripples pass over his face revealing hints of another beneath it. "What the...?" she started, but she'd taken a step back at the sight and her foot slipped tipping her backwards.

She closed her eyes expecting to feel the pain of striking the ground, but a strong arm touched her back, stopping her decent and holding her in place. Slowly, she opened her eyes once more, looking up to find that Aizen had been the one to catch her. For some reason, he was still holding her the way he'd caught her, her weight fully being held by a single arm wrapped around her waist and his face hovering over her, worry etched into the depths of his dark eyes.

The rush of nearly falling was still running through her, but Yukiko could feel herself calming down, knowing she'd been caught by her friend. It also helped knowing the ripples she'd seen a moment ago seemed to be gone. "Hehe, thanks, Aizen," she chuckled nervously. She subtly gave him the signal that she wanted up now and he obliged, lifting her back onto her feet. "Well, see ya tomorrow, Aizen."

With that, she turned and started walking away. She resisted the urge to put a hand to her head, feeling like she'd just been hit with a dizzy spell. Those ripples had appeared again...maybe she really had pushed herself a little too much. She really needed to work on that.

* * *

"It's worse that I thought."

This thought ran through Shinji's mind as he watched the interaction between his lieutenant and 10th seat. He'd always been reluctant to allow the two to interact, and even though he didn't know exactly what it was, something about the scene he'd just witnessed didn't feel right.

They'd sat and chatted with each other which was fine and dandy. That's what friends normally do. Then he offered her his hand to help her get up. This threw up a red flag in Shinji's mind, but not as much as what happened next. She'd slipped and the lieutenant had caught her, holding her in his arms for several minutes.

Although Shinji didn't want to believe it, it almost seemed as if his lieutenant was getting romantically attached to her. He didn't want that to happen for two reasons; the first being because of Kensei's obvious attraction to her, the second being he simply did not trust him with her.

After the two had separated, the blonde captain decided to take action. He entered the squad barracks, sent out a few hell butterflies and waited in his office. A few hours later, he had three captains assembled before him.

"I'm glad you were able to make it," he commented glancing up at the small group. Before him stood the captains of squads 7, 3 and 2.

"You did say it was urgent," Rose pointed out lightly.

"What happened to the kid now?" Love asked crossing his arms.

"It's not that anything happened," Shinji answered easily.

"Naw, you're just worried about your lieutenant again," Youruichi laughed.

"More or less," Shinji groaned. He hated it when she was able to know exactly what he wanted...even when he hadn't said he'd wanted anything. "Aizen's far too interested in Yukiko's growth. It puts me on edge."

"Makes sense," Love grunted. "What does that have to do with us though?"

"I need you guys to help me out," Shinji answered gesturing with his hands to each one of them as he spoke. "I'd rather all her free time was taken up, whether by visiting squad 9, or by you taking her off my hands."

"In other words, you want to lessen her interaction with him," Youruichi summed up.

"Yes."

"Wouldn't that be detrimental to her connection with your squad?" Rose asked cautiously.

"This would put a strain on things," Love agreed.

"It's only temporary. If I don't find anything, then we can end it, but I'd rather her not be around until I'm certain," Shinji finished.

The three captains shared glances with each other, all trying to determine if he was just paranoid or if it'd be a good idea to help out. After a few moments of tense silence, Youruichi laughed and stepped up to his desk.

"No worries, I'll help keep her busy," she told him cheekily. "I had every intention of kidnapping her a few times a week anyway. But you really should let either Mashiro or Kensei know about this. Just in case."

"There's no talking to him about anything that has to do with her right now," Shinji sighed in irritation.

"Keh, he's such an idiot," Love scoffed shaking his head. He stepped up as well and nodded toward the smaller captain. "It'd probably be best for her not to come to my squad, but I'll see if Lisa will snag her every once in awhile."

Realizing he was the only one who hadn't agreed, Rose stepped up and nodded to Shinji as well. "It'll be a little difficult to do anything to start with, since I'm getting settled into my new role," he explained lightly. "However, I would be more than happy to bring her over to give her a trim, or teach her a few chords. I get the feeling she'll have an appreciation for the arts."

Shinji was relieved they were willing to help out and thanked each of them before they headed back to their own squads. Now, he just had to try and figure out his lieutenant, before she got hurt.

* * *

Shippoman: It's only been a week and already Aizen's making his captain very uncomfortable. Yukiko doesn't seem to notice any difference though. Just how long will they be able to keep her distracted without letting on what's going on? Will Shinji find anything regarding Aizen's odd fascination with her? Stay tuned to find out.

Oh and I'm calling for you the readers to help me keep this story afloat. Admittedly I'm running out of ideas on what to have the characters do and I'd love it if you gave your input. If there's something you'd like to see happen or if you want me to show a certain character, let me know and I'll try and make sure to fit it in somewhere. Without something for Yukiko, Kensei, or the other major characters to do, I may just end up jumping ahead to the next big thing...it'd stink not to have any build up. So please, through PM or review, help me out.


	30. A Piece Left Behind

Chapter 30: A Piece Left Behind

It was dark when Kensei stepped into his room to head to bed. Right away he knew something was off, as there was a lump already settled beneath his covers. Sighing to himself, he went into his bathroom, completed his evening routine, and moved toward the bed ready to kick the occupant out. He was not going to have his sleep impeded this time.

As he got closer, he reached down and pulled the blanket back only to freeze with the order for the person to leave halfway up his throat. It wasn't Mashiro. "Wh-what are you doing here, Yukiko?" he stumbled for a moment trying to force his voice to return to its normal gruffness.

The occupant turned slowly to look up at him and he could clearly see her dark green eyes were puffy and red, and tears were streaming down her cheeks. "Captain," she hiccuped. She opened her mouth to speak again, but all that escaped were a few restrained sobs as she held her face with her hands.

Kensei felt his frustration almost vanish entirely as he watched her cry in his bed and he sighed before pulling her up and into his arms holding her tightly. "What happened?" he growled. He had every intention of killing whoever it was that reduced her to this.

Yukiko hiccuped a few more times before finally managing to get out a few words. "It was...C-Captain Hirako...and L-Lieutenant Aizen," she sobbed burying her face in his chest. "They...they said...I had to learn my place...so they had everyone take turns with..." She couldn't finish her sentence as fresh sobs escaped her.

Kensei didn't need her to though. It was obvious to him where she was going with it and it made him sick to his stomach that his long time friend had done that. He'd trusted the guy with one of his subordinates and this was how he treated them? He was going to tear Shinji a new one as soon as he was through making Yukiko feel better. That man was going to die for hurting her.

The poor 10th seat suddenly seemed to get a hold of herself long enough to finally finish her story. "But...but I managed to get away before anything happened," she whispered. Kensei could feel her entire body shaking with fear. "I-I don't have to go back...do I, Kensei?"

His body froze at the sound of his name and he looked down to see that she was staring up at him in a pleading fashion. She seemed to have stopped crying entirely now and was simply clinging to him. He slowly reached up and ran his thumbs over her cheeks to wipe away the tears that still lingered. "No, you don't have to go back," he grumbled. Then slowly, he pushed her back onto the pillow and began to sit up. "I'm gonna go take care of this now."

Before he could move away, he felt her hand latch onto his bed clothes and pull at it lightly. He tried to convince her to let go, but she refused to and her eyes pleaded with him not to go. Sighing in resignation, he keeled down beside her and waited for her to drift off. He was still going to kill that man, but only after he made sure she was going to be alright.

"Kensei, please, don't leave me," she requested, her voice almost sounding like an angel's. He nodded his understanding and she smiled that mesmerizing smile of hers. "Will you join me? At least until I fall asleep?" Her question seemed to echo in the room as she held the covers up invitingly.

Kensei had to force himself not to seem too eager to accommodate the request as he slowly slid beneath the covers beside her. "Better?" he asked trying to sound casual. He'd slept beside Mashiro countless times thanks to her refusing to leave his bed, but this was different. As he lay there, with her head pressed against his shoulder, he could feel that part of himself straining against his control. He still wanted her, and her proximity was wearing down his control to almost nothing.

"You know...it's okay," she murmured shyly. "I don't mind...if it's you."

Kensei's breath caught in his throat at the sound of her words, and despite his better judgment, he turned so he could see her. The smell of plum blossoms filled his senses and he seemed to tune out all noise as his eyes focused onto her lips. Then slowly, he leaned forward and melded his mouth with hers.

She tasted like honey, just as he remembered and he wanted more of it. His mouth moved against hers, getting a little rougher the longer he kissed her. He heard her moan beneath him and he felt his control slip even more.

Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her flush up against him, deepening the kiss. His tongue slid into her mouth, seeking out hers in a quest to dominate everything he could touch. His hands couldn't stay still as they ran up and down her slim body. The usual shihaksho she wore was missing, being replaced by the thin fabric of the yukata he'd seen her in before.

He pulled back just enough to take a few breaths as he began nipping at her neck and shoulders. Her moans and the stroking of her hands only encouraging him to keep going. A part of his brain told him he needed to stop, but he ignored it. How could he just ignore her in her time of need after all?

The feverish need behind his administrations began to dwindle after several minutes of the make out, and he felt like his more rational mind was returning to control. But this all vanished the moment he heard her speak again. "Kensei...I want you," she whispered directly in his ear, her arms wrapped around his neck. "Please...I want you to take it all."

Her plea sent him over the edge as he felt his restraint completely snap. He turned so that he was on top of her and quickly unfastened his bed clothes before reaching down and removing the tie on her yukata. Then he slid the fabric off her body, revealing the milky smooth flesh he'd come in contact with a few times before. He bent down and began kissing over it, her moans and hums of pleasure making the heat within him increase.

He couldn't hold it in any longer as he finished stripping and roughly pulled her clothing off, allowing his hand to move over every inch of her while his mouth sought hers once more. He could feel his erection skim along the inside of her leg as he began moving into position...only to suddenly sit up with a shout of pain.

Anger clouded his muddled brain as his eyes searched around him to see what had caused him to be in pain. He caught sight of it almost immediately in the form of his lieutenant sitting on his leg with a big grin on her face. "Hey Kensei!" she shouted happily.

"What do you want, Mashiro?" Kensei growled dropping his tired face in his hand. He didn't have the energy at the moment to yell at her.

"Boo boo...meanie Kensei," she pouted. "You've been avoiding me, so I thought I'd come wake you up with some nice breakfast!"

"You cooked?" he asked raising his eyebrow in disbelief.

"Nope! I just swiped some extra food from the cafeteria!" she exclaimed happily.

Kensei let out a sigh of relief. He didn't really want to try her cooking if he could help it. Deciding he wasn't going to get rid of her until he'd eaten, he gestured for her to get off his leg and climbed out of bed with a tight stretch.

"What were you dreaming about?" Mashiro giggled lightly.

Kensei didn't understand why she was asking, and actually found he couldn't really remember, though he knew whatever it was he hated the fact he'd been interrupted. "Why do you want to know?" he grumbled walking over to the plate of food resting on his table.

"Because whatever it was must have been good," she giggled again. "Pervy Kensei was having fun."

Catching on to what she was insinuating, he glanced down and saw the dead giveaway to the topic of his dream. Suddenly, it all came back in a rush, making his neck heat up and turn red. "It's nothing, Mashiro," he growled, daring her to question him further.

"Whatever you say, Pervy Kensei," she giggled moving toward his door. "If you go back to sleep...tell Ume I said hi okay?"

"Yeah, whatever," he growled having not caught the last part until the words were already out of his mouth.

"I knew it!" she exclaimed delightedly. "Now you have to bring her back." Looking completely pleased with herself, she turned on her heel and disappeared through the door.

Kensei grumbled a few curses under his breath as he went back to his breakfast. Now that he could remember what his dream was he couldn't get the image of her willingly beneath him. This was the whole reason he had her leave after all. He couldn't do that to her. It'd be wrong on so many levels. Still, things had to be going well since he hadn't seen her since her departure. Shinji must be keeping her busy...good.

When he finished, he headed outside, ready to start handing out assignments for the day before getting in a workout. By this time his little "problem" was gone so he didn't have to worry about embarrassing himself around his men. Or so he thought.

As he was reaching his office, he heard a familiar voice flit through the halls and spotted Mashiro running down an adjoining one with a small redhead behind her. "Yay! Ume's back!" Mashiro was shouting with joy as she sprinted away from him.

"Come on Mashiro!" Yukiko called after her in exasperation. "I don't have a lot of time you know. Are we going to spar or what?"

"But, I have to tell everyone your back first!" Mashiro exclaimed. "Especially Kensei...the perv."

Kensei ducked into his office before he was spotted by either of them and had to lean against the wall in an effort to get his breath back. The moment he'd seen her walking the halls again, his neck became uncomfortably hot, his hands began to sweat, and all he could see was dream Yukiko pleading with him to take her. It was too much.

"I can't tell if it's getting better or worse," he grumbled to himself quickly taking his seat behind his desk. He knew his subordinates would be in soon and he'd rather they not be privy to the obvious show he was putting on. "Obviously it's still too early to try and talk to her...I'd lose it again." Kensei worked for several moments to calm his nerves and force the images plaguing his mind out of it. He knew it'd probably be a long time before he was able to speak to her again, but he wanted to make sure it would happen. He wasn't going to lose to his desires...he refused to.

* * *

"Mashiro! Where are you going?" Yukiko called out as she chased after the squad 9 lieutenant. She'd gone to squad 9 in order to spar with her old friends. Unfortunately, Mashiro seemed to have other plans. She only had an hour or two to spare before needing to return to her own squad. Why was Mashiro wasting her time?

"Just come on!" Mashiro called back with a light giggle. She kept on going, leading the 10th seat on past the barracks and training grounds. "You'll love it!"

Yukiko sighed but didn't argue. The lieutenant had a way of knowing what sort of things she'd like so she went with it. If nothing else Mashiro was never boring. So she followed along, saying hi to the other squad members in passing. She was pleased to see that all of them remembered her and seemed to be happy to see her. It made her feel good.

Just as she was starting to contemplate heading back to her own squad, Mashiro skidded to a halt and turned to her with a triumphant smile on her face. "Tahdah!" she exclaimed excitedly. "What do you think?"

Yukiko glanced around them looking for whatever it was Mashiro was excited over. "What exactly am I looking at?" she asked in confusion.

"Oh come on," Mashiro pouted. "You can't see it?"

Yukiko glanced around again but didn't see anything specific. "Man, you're gonna hurt our feelings not noticing it like that."

Yukiko spun around and smiled when she saw her four best friends. "Kouga, Darui, Sakagi, Harris," she greeted each of them. "Sorry, I guess I'm a little blind at the moment. Just point it out, please."

The four looked at each other before Harris motioned toward the ground between them and the lieutenant. Yukiko looked at the spot, and it took her a minute or two, but she eventually realized there was something sticking out of the ground. A rather...familiar looking plant.

"We sort of planted it the day after you left," Darui murmured scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. "It was Lieutenant Kuna's idea...but we were all for it."

"Is that...?" she started to ask in astonishment.

"The plum blossom you gave me for my birthday?" Mashiro cut in easily. "Yep!"

"I-I don't get it. Why did you...?" she stuttered a bit, feeling very confused.

"Well, the way the lieutenant explained it was that this was a way of "keeping a piece of you here"," Harris explained lightly.

"Exactly!" Kouga laughed loudly. "This way, it's almost like you never left, even on the days when you're too busy to stop by."

"It's dumb, I know, but they're right," Sakagi grumbled, looking in the opposite direction.

Yukiko didn't know what to say. This definitely wasn't what she'd expected when Mashiro had told her she wanted to show her something. Eventually she settled on giving each of them a heartfelt smile and hug. "You guys are amazing," she expressed, trying to keep the tears from leaking out of her eyes. "Thank you."

She stared down at the little plant and whispered a few words under her breath while Mashiro shouted with joy. "Alright, now that that's out of the way, on to the training grounds!"

"Hold on, Mashiro, I don't exactly have enough time to do one one matches anymore," Yukiko spoke up quickly. "This little detour took up a lot of that time, not that I'm complaining about it."

"Well, then why don't we just have one large match," Harris suggested.

"Right...like a three on three!" Kouga exclaimed excitedly.

"Ooh, then I'm on Ume's team!" Mashiro decided.

"That wouldn't really be fair now would it," Yukiko pointed out with a sigh. "Why don't we do this, Mashiro will be with Sakagi and Darui, and I'll team up with Kouga and Harris."

"Hmm, okay," Mashiro pouted. Her pout quickly turned into excitement and she shot off. "First group to the training grounds gets to choose who get's the high ground!"

Yukiko laughed as she watched her ex-lieutenant and four best friends race off. She really had missed them but it was nice to know she was welcomed back so readily. Even if it was just for sparring. As she moved to follow them, she paused long enough to look back at the plant. "Huh, it really is nice to know, that no matter where I go from here, there'll always be a small piece left behind," she thought to herself. Then she turned toward the training grounds and sprinted all the way there ready to bring a nice end to her day.

* * *

Shippoman: Awe, isn't that sweet? Mashiro and the boys didn't like having her gone so they made sure she'd never leave. Not fully anyway. Yukiko's pretty happy about it, though she'd be even more happy if Kensei would get off his butt and figure out how to talk to her now. Though in his defense it's really hard to talk to someone if all you see when talking to them is your dream version of them. Pervy Kensei... Well anyway, hope you all enjoyed that, and hopefully I didn't go outside the rating with that one. There's more stuff to come, with training, investigations, and romance. Stay tuned to see it all, and please remember to R&amp;R. Oh, and the request still stands for any of you who have ideas of what I can have the characters do.


	31. Training Woes

Chapter 31: Training Woes

"You're not quitting already are you?"

Yukiko groaned at the question as she dragged herself to her feet and slipped into a fighting stance. "I'm not...a quitter," she panted, wiping the sweat from her brow. Her arm twinged slightly as she did this and she knew she was going to have one heck of a bruise later on.

"Good, then let's keep going."

The woman who spoke was none other than the beautiful captain of squad 2 herself, and she was standing before Yukiko with a playful smirk across her dark lips. Yukiko took a few more moments to catch her breath before shooting forward with a kick directed at the captain's legs. Youruichi was too fast though and was almost instantly behind her with a leg sweep, knocking the girl onto her back once again.

"You're slowing down," she pointed out with a mild chuckle. "Maybe we should take a break. You look like you're about to pass out."

Yukiko panted a bit and tried to get back on her feet, but her muscles were screaming in agony. Finally, she gave in and just laid there in pain. "Okay...if you say so," she mumbled dejectedly.

"You are getting better," Youruichi told her as she helped the younger soul reaper to her feet. "You just really need to work on your stamina."

"Right, I'll keep that in mind," Yukiko grumbled rubbing her sore arm and leg muscles.

"Well, we've still got some time, so why don't you take a dip in the spring and I'll get your next session ready," Youruichi suggested.

Yukiko just nodded numbly and gingerly made her way to the big white spring at the end of the enormous training room. Once there, she glanced around to make sure she was alone before removing her uniform and slipping into the warm white water.

As she relaxed into the steamy pool, she thought back on the last several hours. She'd woken up that day expecting to have a mission to lead like normal, but instead found herself stolen away by the rather demanding second squad captain. She didn't mind it really, and knew that her captain had been alerted to the plan before hand, but still wished she'd at least be given a heads up the day before or something.

It'd already been a few months since she was transferred and she felt that she'd transitioned rather well. The other squad members were looking up to her and respecting her, she was able to give out orders without being questioned or doubted every step of the way, she even had the other seated members telling her she was doing a good job. It was nice.

Every so often, though, she'd be stolen away just like this for various different reasons. Playing tag with the Kuchiki boy, ditching the squads to just visit a hot spring somewhere and relax, or, like today, just do a bit of training in the secret training area she and Urahara had created together.

She'd actually been training with Youruichi for three hours already and knew it was far worse than trying to spar against Mashiro. The green haired lieutenant wasn't nearly as fast after all. She knew, however, that sparring against Youruichi wasn't the only thing on her plate that day. Training always took the entire day, switching between sparring, meditating with her sword, or running through drills. She found she had the most fun, however, when Urahara would join the sparring matches. He was weird, but a lot of fun to hang around with.

"About finished?"

Yukiko glanced up from the spring and smiled up at the purple haired captain. "Yeah, I think so," she murmured. Then she slowly got out of the spring, dressed, and did a few stretches. "So, what's next then? Is Kisuke going to be sparring this time?"

"No, he had a few things he needed to take care of," Youruichi answered with a wave of her hand. "But I brought in someone who can help you strengthen your kido."

"Really, who?" Yukiko asked intrigued. Since the captain was a noble, she figured she'd be able to get just about anyone she wanted. Who'd be good enough for her to ask though?

Instead of answering, Youruichi gave her a mischievous smile before leading her over to the area they'd been sparring in earlier. As they got closer, Yukiko noticed a man standing there she'd never seen before. He was tall with a long blue and gold cloak that he wore over his shihakusho. His hair was black and separated into three sections on top of his head, two of which ended in sharp points sticking out like horns. He wore a pair of square glasses that hid his expression just as much as his very large black mustache and carried a long staff with silver rings at the top.

"Yukiko, this is an old friend of mine," Youruichi introduced. "We grew up together in fact." Yukiko looked at the man in a whole new light and smiled warmly at him. "This is Tessai Tsukabishi, the Grand Kido Chief of the Kido Corps."

Yukiko blanched at the thought but still nodded stiffly. Sure, a member of the kido corps would certainly be able to help her master her own kido that much easier, but the commander of the corps...she was going to die, she was sure of it. "It's...nice to meet you," she forced herself to greet him, flinching at the squeak in her own voice.

He simply nodded at her in a silent manner. Creepy.

"So, why don't you show him all the kido spells you know and he'll help you strengthen each one," Youruichi instructed. "After that, we'll start training you in ways of deflecting different Bakudo. Ready?"

Yukiko opened and closed her mouth several times as she tried to protest, but in the end she saw the futility of it and simply nodded. She was going to be sore going home today...that was for sure.

* * *

"Glad you could make it."

Shinji rose from the seat behind his desk as the blond third seat of squad 2 stepped into his office. He'd called the man in, while his 5th seat was busy, to go over what had been discovered so far.

"So, how's she doing in your training sessions?" he asked, the usual frown turning up lightly in a smirk.

"Marvelous," Urahara replied joyfully as he stepped over to the desk and relaxed in a nearby chair. "You were right, she really is a very fast learner. We hardly have to show her anything for her to pick it up. The only problem that really arises is the skill she displays in the different areas. Kido of course being her worst area, while utilizing her shikai and her reiatsu she flies through. It really would be best if she didn't completely rely on only those two during a fight though."

"Yeah, that's why I figured you and Youruichi would be able to help get her out of the habit," Shinji acknowledged sitting back in his seat and leaning back a bit. "She'll be rising through the ranks faster than almost any soul reaper we've seen come through here with this training. Heck, I'll bet anything she'll be suitable for a captain's position within a few years."

"Physically you mean," Urahara cut in knowingly. "She still has a long way to go if she wants to reach any position higher than what she has."

"Yeah, I know," Shinji nodded scratching the back of his head. "That's the whole reason I've got her running missions whenever I can. She won't get anywhere without that experience after all."

"Exactly."

Shinji took a moment to scan the area around his office, checking to make sure no unsavory characters were listening in before moving on. "So, what have you been able to find?" he asked once he was sure it was all clear.

"You were right, he does appear to be far more intimately involved with her than is necessary and more than is normal for him," Urahara explained after a few moments of thought.

"How, exactly?"

"He seems to have a more "hands on" approach when it comes to interacting with her," Urahara answered. When he noticed the look on the captain's face, he continued. "See, during every interaction I observed, he has made physical contact with her in some form or fashion. Whether intentional or not."

Shinji's frown seemed to deepen at this. "What sort of physical contact are we talking about?" He was sure that regardless of what it was, it would upset a certain gruff captain. He just couldn't decide whether or not that'd be a bad thing.

"Oh, a range of things," Urahara answered waving off the other's obvious concern. "From little things like a simple pat on the head, to directly moving her when instructing her on a new combat move, all the way up to catching her when she has a clumsy moment and holding her longer than necessary."

Shinji couldn't help the feeling of worry growing at the description. He'd seen the last one happen once, but to know it continued to happen multiple times only proved to unsettle him even more. "Well, one way to settle this quickly, would be to tell old Kensei about how close Aizen's getting to her and let him handle it."

"Although that would certainly be quick, it'd cause far more problems than it would fix," Urahara pointed out. "I can't say I wouldn't want to see it though."

Shinji chuckled a little at that before pressing on. "Is there anything else I should know about? Especially anything not regarding Yukiko?"

"Outside of his interactions with your 5th seat, he has no suspicious movements," Urahara told him. He sounded almost dejected over the idea. "However, you should note that every time she had a clumsy moment and needed to be caught, it was because she was startled in the middle of their conversation." This gave Shinji pause as he scrutinized the man before him. "However, she was always quick to recover and laughed it off."

"Huh, I'll have to ask her about it later then," Shinji muttered more to himself.

"Just try not to make her too uncomfortable," Urahara teased lightly. Then he slowly got to his feet and headed for the door. "Well, if that's everything I should be going. I have a young soul reaper to check in on during her training and some video footage to sift through."

"Right, take care Kisuke," Shinji called out. "Oh, and thanks for helpin' me out. I'm pretty sure anyone else would have thought me paranoid."

"It's no trouble at all," Urahara assured him. "I don't want to see her get hurt either after all. She's rather entertaining to be around."

With that he left and Shinji sat brooding at his desk trying to figure out why his lieutenant was able to keep from showing any suspicious activity accept when she was around. Maybe, he should use that fact to draw Aizen out. Naw, there's no way he'd risk her safety like that...not without her agreeing to it first anyway. Still, he shut the idea out of his mind and pulled his paperwork toward him. He needed to decide what to do next, but he also needed to finish his paperwork. Between the two, he figured the Aizen thing could wait just a little longer.

* * *

"Next, stop it. Bakudo # 62 Hyapporankan."

Yukiko felt herself freeze as a hail of blueish white pillars flew through the air at her. At the last moment, she heard Youruichi call out to her to move and she pulled herself together. Jumping backwards, she began chanting a Hado spell as she dodged whatever pillars she could, allowing the spell to charge and become larger.

When it was to a sufficient size, she released it. "Hado # 31, Shot of Red Fire!" Her blast flew forward and managed to engulf the remaining pillars, destroying them all. "I-I did it!" she shouted excitedly.

"Bakudo # 1 Sai." Tessai moved his arm in front of him and Yukiko immediately felt her body seize up. "Don't get complacent because of a single victory. Your enemy will not allow you time to rejoice."

"Right...understood," she panted trying to move her body in order to break the lower level Bakudo. Unfortunately, her body was severely weakened, and even if it wasn't she was certain she wouldn't have the strength to break it. He wasn't Grand Kido Chief for nothing. "C-can we...take a break?"

Youruichi laughed a little at her weak request from her odd position on the ground before motioning to her old friend to let up. "You did pretty well, considering," she complimented. "Just make sure not to freeze up when you see something coming at you."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Yukiko grumbled as she slowly sat up and gingerly rubbed her aching limbs. "But hey, I can do those giant Shots of Red Fire more often now. And faster."

"That's why I'm saying you did well," Youruichi pointed out, patting the younger soul reaper's head lightly. "You're getting stronger every day. You just need to practice your kido a little more than I know you do."

Yukiko blushed lightly at this and began gathering up her things. "Well...it's getting pretty late, I should really head on back to my own squad. Thanks for the session, Youruichi." She paused on her way out and turned back to the commander of the kido corps. "Thank you for your help today, Commander Tsukabishi."

"Tessai is fine," he grunted without any change in expression.

"Right...well, thanks again, Tessai." With that she left the hidden training grounds and headed back to her own squad; sore but feeling just a little stronger for it.

* * *

Shippoman: I know this one was a little shorter than I have been making it but I've had a lot on my plate these last few weeks. I'm in the process of moving to a new state and I only have three whole weeks to do it in. Don't worry, I'll still try my best to make sure I get a chapter out every week but I apologize if it doesn't happen. Also, more ideas of things to do would greatly help out the writing process. On to the chapter...

Looks like Yukiko's getting a big boost in her power thanks to Youruichi and Tessai. Question is though, will it be enough to help her survive having Aizen's interest? What exactly is it that he wants from her anyway? Stay tuned to find out. Please remember to R&amp;R, your reviews make my entire week, especially with the stress of moving.


	32. Reconciliation

Chapter 32: Reconciliation

"You wanted to see me, Captain?" It was mid-day when Yukiko was called into Shinji's office. She'd been having a hard time getting to sleep recently, and the men had begun to notice during their training sessions, asking if she was alright and offering her words of advice. She'd accepted them all graciously, but disregarded their words. She knew what she was doing after all.

"Yeah I've got something here that I need you to..." Shinji began as he brought a folder up to hand to her, only to pause when he met her eyes. He'd heard the weariness in her voice but hadn't thought much of it. When he looked at her though, it was all too clear she wasn't doing well. He sighed. "Yukiko, you've been having those late-night training sessions again haven't you."

"Yes," Yukiko answered, her shoulders visibly drooping, only making her look even more tired. "Though not exactly in the way you're thinking." He gave her a look letting her know he was listening and she reluctantly continued. "I've been having a hard time falling asleep lately. So, on the nights where it's nearly impossible, I head out to train for a bit hoping it'll exhaust me enough to sleep."

"And, does it work?" Shinji asked feeling he already knew the answer.

"Not every time," she admitted. "Last night I couldn't sleep no matter what I did."

"Right...well starting now you've got time," her captain declared putting the folder back on his desk and leaning back in his chair. "Get some rest, and I mean that. No training, no fighting, no visiting other squads, you need to take a break. You're burning yourself out."

"But, what about the mission you had...?"

"I can get someone else to handle it," he answered waving away her worry. "Now I mean it. Get some rest, or I'll have Kisuke come in here and knock you out for a few hours."

Yukiko blanched at this and nodded. "Okay, I'll take a nap or something," she agreed, knowing he'd make good on his promise.

Shinji smiled at her and gestured for her to leave. Just as she was turning around, she felt a heavy weight land on her back knocking her tired body to the floor. "Ume! You haven't come visit in forever!" It was Mashiro, and she was now sitting on the poor 5th seat's back.

"Mashiro, I was just there three days ago," Yukiko groaned. "Besides, I can't spar today. Captain Hirako just ordered me to relax."

"That's okay! I just wanted you to come with me to the hot spring that just opened in the Rukon District # 20," Mashiro replied joyfully. "That's still relaxing, isn't it?" At the question, she looked up to meet Shinji's eye and he grinned at her in approval.

"Yeah, that'll work," he murmured amused by the sight. "Alright, Yukiko, go take a day at the hot springs. That'll loosen you up enough to sleep properly."

"But, Captain..." the younger soul reaper tried to argue.

Mashiro wasn't having it though, as she climbed off of her. "Awesome! Come on, Ume. Let's go enjoy a hot spring together!" she shouted, pulling the girl up to her feet.

Yukiko sighed heavily. "Alright, just let me grab a few things," she muttered turning toward the door.

"I have to grab a few things too!" Mashiro said suddenly. "I'll meet you there, Ume!"

And with that, the rambunctious lieutenant shot out the window, disappearing into the horizon. Yukiko groaned again at the thought of traveling all the way to the Rukon district in her state as she headed out the door...the light chuckle she caught from her captain didn't help matters. Why couldn't they just leave her alone?

* * *

About an hour after receiving her order to go relax in a hot spring with Mashiro, Yukiko found herself walking up to said hot spring with no sign of the green haired lieutenant anywhere. She'd better not have forgotten.

"Welcome to the Lawrence Co-ed hot spring," a woman greeted her as she approached the little shop. "Is there anything you may need before entering the spring?"

"Yeah, I just need to know if..." It took Yukiko's fatigued mind a few moments to register what the woman had said. And when it did, her face went from a semi-pale color to bright red. "Wait, did you just say...co-ed hot spring?"

"Oh yes, many find it more relaxing to not worry about gender when entering the spring," the woman acknowledged with a nod. "Is this alright with you?"

"Y-yeah, it's fine...is there anyone else in there now?" she asked tentatively. Honestly as long as it wasn't any of the males she knew it should be fine...right?

"No, at the moment it is completely vacant," the woman answered, still smiling her welcoming smile.

Yukiko breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe she wouldn't have to worry about any males entering the spring after all. "Alright then. Which way to the women's changing room then?"

The woman pointed to the right and Yukiko thanked her before heading inside. Better get it over with before anyone else showed up. She doubted it'd be a relaxing soak if there was anyone else she knew sitting in there with her...Mashiro excluded.

She stepped into the changing room, slipped out of her uniform, wrapped herself in a towel while placing another on her head, then headed toward the spring and slipping into the warm water. The moment she was seated in the water, the top coming up to her chin, she felt her muscles begin to relax enjoying the strange heat and the gentle caress of the liquid. Maybe Mashiro wasn't crazy about coming here.

Already she could feel her eyes beginning to droop, the steam only serving to enhance her tiredness. Pretty soon, she was breathing fairly easily, the thought of Mashiro missing out on the wonderful soak flitting through her muddled mind before everything faded and she fell asleep.

* * *

"Come on, Kensei! You're such a slowpoke today," Mashiro pouted. She was pushing on her captain's back down the streets of Rukon district # 20. It'd taken a little over an hour to convince him to go to the hot springs with her and to get that far. Now, she could see their destination and really wanted him to speed up.

Kensei, on the other hand, had other ideas. He had a lot of work he still needed to get done and would rather not go to a hot spring. It was a waste of time and he had a sneaking suspicion there was more to her request than met the eye. That could just be because of the situations she'd landed him in with Yukiko while she was still in his squad, but he really didn't like this hot spring idea.

"I'm not slow," he eventually grunted. This was so irritating. "You're just being pushier than normal. Why are you really dragging me all the way out here? You know I've still got a ton of paperwork to finish."

"Tousen can handle most of that," Mashiro pointed out, though he noticed she strictly avoided his question about why she wanted to be there. "Now just relax for a bit. It'll do you some good."

Kensei seriously doubted it, but his attention was momentarily distracted by the welcoming woman before him. "Welcome to the Lawrence Co-ed hot spring," she greeted with a smile. "Is there anything you may need before entering the spring?"

"Co-ed?" Kensei demanded right away. That had not been part of the bargain. He glared down at his lieutenant who acted as if she hadn't heard him. "There's no way I'm getting' in the same spring as you."

"Come on, Kensei, it'll be fun," Mashiro argued. She quickly paid the woman for the both of them, asked where each of the changing rooms were, then shoved him into the men's before heading in the opposite direction.

"I swear I'm going to strangle her," he growled under his breath. It was bad enough knowing he'd be wasting his time in a spring filled with men he didn't know, it was even worse knowing he'd be surrounded by both men and women. On second thought, soaking with a bunch of naked women didn't sound too terrible. Maybe he'd even be able to find one willing to give him a bit of stress relief...so long as Mashiro left him alone that is.

With the semi-happy thought in mind, he pulled off his outfit, wrapped a towel around his waist, and walked to the spring expecting Mashiro to already be there...along with more people. To his surprise, he didn't see anybody. "Guess it must be a slow day or something..." he thought with a shrug. Oh well, so much for his stress relief.

He stepped into the pool, and leaned against the rocky wall, allowing the water and steam to permeate his senses. It was relaxing. He sat there for a good five minutes with his eyes closed before he noticed something. Mashiro still hadn't come out. What was she doing? "Hey! You coming or what?!" he shouted toward the women's changing room.

To his surprise, instead of hearing a response from his lieutenant, he heard a startled yelp behind him before a small splash. Seemed someone else was in the spring after all. Curious, and wanting to make sure the person hadn't hurt themselves, he started moving forward, trying to see through the rather thick steam.

A few moments later he heard someone gasp and cough a little, meaning the splash he'd heard earlier was a sign of them having gone under the water. Just as he was beginning to see the shape of another person, his body brushed against something soft and he reached down, pulling up a single towel. They must have lost it when they went under.

The person must have realized they were missing something, as they began frantically searching around the area trying to find it. Pretty soon, he was close enough to the person to identify them, and the moment he did he felt his neck heat up and the water suddenly seemed cold in comparison.

He coughed loudly to get their attention and he heard a squeak come from them. "You dropped this," he muttered turning his head away so he wouldn't have to see which one was lost. He hoped it was the one on her head. That would be a little less awkward, but then again his other mind hoped it was the other one.

He waited as the towel was slowly pulled away from his hand and then waited a little longer before turning his head to look them over. As he thought, it was Yukiko, and her cheeks were bright red...probably as red as his neck felt. Thankfully the steam around them made anything else difficult to see, but considering the amount he'd already seen it didn't make a difference.

Her shoulders he could see were as creamy as ever, and he knew how soft the skin was. His body ached to touch it again, to touch her again, but luckily the steamy air drowned out her scent allowing him to remain in control of himself.

"Thanks," he heard her murmur in embarrassment and she faced the nearest wall, having the rock cover her front. "I didn't expect to see you here...Kensei. Wh-where's Mashiro?"

Kensei internally groaned. So this was her game plan. She'd wanted to force a situation where he'd have acknowledge her. It worked too. How irritating. "She ditched me," he answered shaking his head. He wasn't looking at her anymore. He knew it was safer not to.

"I see...so it was another Mashiro trick, huh," she chuckled nervously. "I can't believe she got us again."

Kensei didn't say anything, but he did secretly agree with her. Mashiro was far too good at this...he'd have to be more careful in the future.

"Do you want me to leave?" she asked suddenly with a sigh.

It was such an out of the blue question that he had to turn and look at her again. She was staring at the water now, her arms wrapped around herself and sadness shining in her eyes. "No...you're fine," he grunted. The last thing he wanted to do was have another incident with her, but at the same time he couldn't leave her looking like that. "The steam makes it hard to see anything too detailed. But if you're too uncomfortable I won't stop you."

She shifted a little and a small amount of pleasure seeped into his mind at the smile that spread across her face. "Okay then." Things became quiet for a time and Kensei found himself enjoying it rather than dreading it. The knowledge that he wasn't losing control over himself just being near her made it that much more bearable. Then, he heard her murmur something he wished she'd kept to herself. "Kensei, are you angry with me?"

That one question pulled at his insides and he had to fight to keep the pain he felt off his face. "What would make you ask something stupid like that?" he returned gruffly.

"Well, the sudden transfer, the coldness every time you have to talk to me, the fact you've been avoiding me since I transferred and didn't even see me off," she listed off, her sadness being replaced with irritation as she went. "If it was because of the night before...I'm sorry. I know that you as a captain are not allowed to engage in that sort of activity and I allowed it to happen potentially getting you into trouble."

"Is that really what she thinks happened?" he wondered to himself. "Geeze, no wonder she was a nervous wreck when she entered my office that day. Why is she apologizing anyway? It wasn't her fault, she wasn't the one that instigated it...that was all me. And what's with thinking she got me in trouble? She'd be worse off in that situation than I would. There aren't very many people strong enough to become a captain right now so my position is still pretty safe, she on the other hand would probably be removed...either from the squad or from the Gotei entirely. I guess she wouldn't be feeling like this had I just talked to her that day like she'd wanted...but there was no way I was capable of it...not in that state."

He sighed and dropped a hand on her head giving it a rub. "Look, you can be frustrating at times but I've never once been mad at you," he finally answered, not certain where this conversation was leading but not wanting to stop it a second time. "And quit beating yourself up over that night. It sure as hell wasn't your fault. You need to stay focused on your squad anyway...don't keep dwelling on something that happened while you were in mine."

She shook her head slowly, her hair bunching up beneath his fingers as she moved. "It's not that simple," she moaned. "I've tried to forget...to move past it...but I can't. I can't get it out of my mind, not while I'm still wondering why it happened in the first place...and what you expect from it...if anything."

Kensei slowly removed his hand from her head. She wanted him to explain to her why he did it and what he wanted? Yeah right, that wasn't something he could even tell himself. He'd spent countless nights trying to figure out why he'd fallen to his desires in that moment, but he had been strong enough to avoid any incidents prior. What made that one so different?

In order to buy himself some time, and because he was curious about the answer he turned the question back on her. "You first. What'd you get from that night?"

Yukiko blushed heavily and tightened her hold around her shoulders. "Well...ever since you saved me and the guys from those twin hollows I've looked at you differently," she admitted slowly. "You were the first person to ever look at my abilities and instead of being afraid or angry you taught me how to control it. You could see that I was better than I thought and pushed me to reach my potential...that meant everything to me. I started to really like you, but I knew the laws concerning infatuating with a captain so I tried my best to keep my distance. Mashiro's little pranks didn't help matters though and my liking just kept growing no matter what I tried to avoid it."

She paused at this point and Kensei had to force himself not to gape at her. She'd really been attracted to him for that long? Heh, no wonder she started opening up to him after that incident. That'd do it. He was impressed that she hadn't tried to talk to him over her desires and even more so about the fact he hadn't noticed. She's usually so easy to read too.

"So, what about that night?"

"Oh, right. Well...for me it was like a dream come true," she admitted, turning even redder. It couldn't be healthy for her to be turning that red while in a hot spring. "I mean I was able to show you something I'd been working on for awhile and then you...well you know. I can't lie I loved it...I mean for a moment it seemed as if you felt the same. But then suddenly you were gone and transferred me the next day. I didn't know what to think...I still don't."

Kensei dragged a hand through his hair as she looked up at him in anticipation and worry. She'd poured out everything she'd held secret to him, he could tell, and now it was his turn. Question was though, would he be able to without losing himself again?

"Look, I'm not good at this sort of thing so it may not make sense," he began after a few moments of silence. "But I'm not explaining again so you'll just have to be satisfied with this." She nodded and waited with baited breath. "When I first brought you in I thought I had my work cut out for me. You were pathetically weak emotionally speaking and everyone walked all over you. I was starting to wonder if you'd ever break out of it. Then you had that mission and they described just how strong you could be when the situation called for it. I couldn't have been prouder."

Yukiko beamed at this and felt her heart swell. They weren't words of love, but that didn't matter. He was her captain and he'd been proud of her...that was all she needed. But he kept going.

"From there things got a little easier. You were slowly getting more confident and I could trust you to do more. I was on the verge of being pissed when I heard you took off with that fever. But when we finally found you and you explained why you did, it made it more acceptable. You were still an idiot though, still are. Then that day came with the transforming hollow and for a moment I thought I was gonna lose you...but like always you came back just as stupid and chipper as ever."

Yukiko giggled a little at this and he could see her cheeks darken once more. Apparently his explanation was a pretty good one.

"From then on I couldn't help but notice you. Your shape, your scent, your voice, everything was so prominent. When Mashiro started her pranks, it made it difficult to look at you directly because I'd...think of other stuff. Then that night, you looked so proud of yourself after your display. Your eyes sparkled like they do when you get excited and your scent was everywhere in that vortex. I...I couldn't hold it back any longer."

He glanced over at his ex-subordinate and could see her surprise and embarrassment. He realized she'd had no idea just how drawn to her he'd become...just as he'd had no idea how much she liked him. Somehow this fact made him feel pretty good.

"Don't get me wrong...I completely enjoyed it and a part of me wanted to take it farther," he continued and watched a her eyes widened in surprise. "But I caught a hold of myself and backed off. Yeah there's the whole captain rule thing but it was more than that. It's dangerous for a captain to have a weakness that can be exploited without going near him. I refuse to fall into that category."

"You mean...I could be your weakness?" Yukiko asked catching on. He was worried she'd be used against him.

He could see understanding in her eyes and nodded. "Yeah, more or less," he sighed and rubbed his head again. "Look, if I was in any position other than a captain I may have been willing to give it a shot...but even if you are in a separate squad now, we can't let anything go beyond a simple friendship, got it."

She nodded, pleased to know she hadn't been living in a fantasy world. He really did care about her as much as she did him, and wanted to keep her safe. "I think I can do that," she agreed wholeheartedly. "Question is though, can you, Captain Muguruma?" She grinned in a teasing manner at this and almost laughed at the look of irritation he wore.

"If it's just us, Kensei's fine," he grunted and leaned against the wall again. Somehow, he felt a lot lighter now. Weird. Then feeling a little playful, he reached over and gripped her arm before pulling her toward him, pressing her front against his own. "And are you really sure you'll be able to keep a hold of yourself?"

His breath was landing on her face, because of their close proximity and Yukiko shivered despite herself. She was pulled flush against him and was painfully aware that the towels they wore was all that separated their skin. Taking a few deep breaths, she finally found the strength to push against his chest and pull away. "Course, I've held onto it for this long," she pointed out. "After all, it wasn't me that dropped the ball first."

She glanced teasingly over at Kensei and was all too pleased with the glare that met her gaze. Seconds later, her vision of him vanished as he reached over and shoved her head under the water. When she came back up spluttering he was already out of the water and heading back to the men's changing rooms.

Even though he hadn't said goodbye, she felt very pleased for the way the trip had ended. She finally fully understood where his stance was and the strange dark feeling that had surrounded them every time they'd been forced to see each other was gone. She was special to him and he worried more about her safety than his own. It made her feel really good.

Once she had her breath back, she got out of the spring herself and headed for the changing rooms thinking about the conversation they'd shared. He didn't want her to be used against him. He knew that he couldn't always be there to protect her and she knew it as well. Well all that meant is that she would need to make herself strong enough that he wouldn't need to protect her. She'd become strong enough to be a captain level so he wouldn't have to worry about her getting hurt...then maybe, just maybe, they could try a relationship for real.

* * *

Shippoman: There you have it. Sorry about it being longer than normal, but there was just no good place to cut it off. Plus I might have gotten a little carried away with the two of them in the hot springs. But it was fun writing so I'm good with it. From here on out Yukiko is going to be doing some secret training to make herself strong enough for Kensei. Stay tuned to see how that goes and on how her relationships with everyone progress. Please remember to R&amp;R. :D


	33. Unknown Intentions

Shippoman: Sorry about not updating for so long. I've had a lot of issues since moving. That first week in the new place we didn't have internet until the end of the week so that one was a bust. Then after that I got hit by horrendous writers block and it took forever just to force this much out. I hope it's as good as the rest, though it does have a lot of time between each scene. Bare with me, I definitely will be getting this entire story out. I must...

Oh and a special shout out to all you who have reviewed for this story and encouraged me to keep it going. I owe you a lot.

* * *

Chapter 33: Unknown Intentions

"I see, it sounds like the nest has been a little more eventful than normal."

Youruichi was lounging in her chair with a bowl of grapes in front of her. She'd just finished listening to her third seat's report on how the prison her squad was in charge of was handling after his last inspection.

"They were just a little excited to see me that's all," Urahara laughed. "It has been a very long time since the last time I visited."

"I thought they hated you," Youruichi chuckled in amusement. "Any particular admirers, or was it just a large group?"

"I felt so loved," Urahara gushed. "It seemed like everyone wanted to express how much they missed me."

"Well, I'm sure you let them down easy," Youruichi smiled. "After all, I can't exactly allow you to be taken away, now can I."

"Of course, I put them all in their place." Youruichi internally laughed at the report and was secretly pleased by the grin on her 3rd seat's face. It was always nice to see that her subordinates were having a good time with their assignments.

She watched as her subordinate and friend suddenly turned serious alerting her to the change of topic. He was about to begin, when a knock sounded on the door before said door opened and both turned to see who it was.

"Excuse the interruption, Lady Youruichi." It was one of her squad members. "Yukiko from squad 5 is here to see you."

As he introduced the younger girl, the squad 2 captain watched as said female stepped into the large room. She smiled, wondering why the young woman was there when there was no training planned for the day. "So, Yukiko, what brings you here?" she asked curiously. "I could have sworn Shinji had made it clear you weren't supposed to be doing any training today."

"Well, yeah he did," Yukiko chuckled nervously. "Honestly, I only came to ask you a favor. We don't have to start today with it or anything like that...but there's something specific I'd like to start doing with my training."

Youruichi's eyes widened at this. Yukiko had never made a request before on how to train or what to train in. "Alright, what is it?"

"Well...I kinda don't want everyone knowing I'm doing this just yet so..." Yukiko began nervously twiddling her fingers. To the captain she almost seemed to be the nervous child she'd been introduced to.

"I can keep a secret," she assured the young girl. Now she was really curious. Secret training...obviously a way to impress her two favorite captains. What did she have in mind? "But if it'll make you feel better, you can always whisper it to me."

Yukiko nodded and approached the captain before leaning over and whispering something into her ear. As soon as she was finished, Youruichi laughed loudly. It wasn't what she'd expected, but the request completely fit the younger female.

"Are you sure this is what you want to do?" she asked seriously. "The training for this isn't easy. You may end up dying trying to achieve it."

"I know, Youruichi, but it's something I have to do," Yukiko answered confidently. "Please. I can't think of anyone else who can help me with this."

"Well, no one that you don't want knowing until it's finished anyway," Youruichi murmured knowingly. "Alright then, the next time you join us for training will be toward this goal. Be ready."

"I will, and thank you," Yukiko gushed giving the captain a heartfelt hug. "You won't regret it, I promise."

"I'm sure I won't," Youruichi murmured gently, patting the top of her head. "Now you should head back to your squad, I don't want Shinji to come here to chew my ear off about you working too hard."

Yukiko laughed at this clearly not believing the captain's words but probably knowing what she meant. "Again, thank you. See you later!" And with that she rushed out of the squad barracks.

"What was it she asked to train in?" Urahara asked the moment she was gone. He did seem a little irritated she hadn't greeted him at all, but Youruichi ignored this fact. She explained with a thoughtful look on her face and his brows knitted together. "While I agree she can probably succeed, is it wise to have her go to that level at this point in time? It wouldn't take much for Central 46 to begin scrutinizing her once more."

"I know," Youruichi scoffed with a wave of her hand. "Let them fret about it all they want, it won't change my decision. She wants to learn, to grow stronger. I'm not about to stand in her way of that. And you know how she can be, even if we don't train her, she'll attempt to do it on her own. This way's at least a little safer."

Urahara sighed and ran a worried hand through his blonde hair. "I hope you're right," he expressed smiling once more. "Hmm, now I can't wait to see the end result."

* * *

It was hot...though it wasn't nearly as hot as it had been the last couple days. Kensei slouched in his chair and wiped the sweat off his brow as he took a moment to enjoy the slight breeze coming into his office through the open window. He'd had a long day of paperwork and forcing Mashiro to leave his office time and time again. Honestly, he was surprised he'd been able to get any work done with her around.

As he continued to lounge, his eyes began to droop thanks to the continued heat. Just before his eyes slid completely closed, he heard the door to his office slide open and forced his eyes to do the same while sitting forward. He wasn't about to reveal to anyone he'd been about to pass out in the middle of the day.

"What is it this time?" he demanded before looking at the visitor. Kensei had to mentally kick himself to keep from coughing the surprise he felt.

"Sorry, I didn't realize I was interrupting a nap," the person laughed lightly. "Should I come back later?"

"No, no it's fine," Kensei grumbled waving away her comment. He fought to keep the heat that was climbing his neck from being visible. After all it'd been a month or two since his chat with her at the hot springs and he hadn't seen her since. They'd both been busy after all. But after so long, he was having a hard time not getting excited seeing her smiling at him. "So, why are you wasting your free time coming all the way out here?"

"It wouldn't be a waste," Yukiko murmured with a smile, gazing at her favorite captain. "But unfortunately I am here on business. Captain Hirako wanted me to deliver these papers to you right away. He said there was something he needed you to do, but wouldn't elaborate."

She walked up to his desk and handed him the papers before lightly brushing the hair out of her face. Kensei glanced at the papers she'd handed to him and set them down on the desk before looking back up into her eyes. Her scent of plum blossoms gently surrounded him and he inhaled it slowly. He hadn't realized how much she affected him...until he had to go without for so long.

"I'll look at this later," he told her, keeping his inner feelings from showing. "I haven't heard anything from you in a long time. How's squad 5 been treatin' you lately?"

"It's been great," she answered while she leaned against the edge of his desk. "I'm getting pretty good at the missions Captain Hirako assigns me and most the squad respects me a lot now. I've even gotten stronger thanks to training sessions with Aizen, Mashiro, and Youruichi."

Kensei smirked at this. He knew she would get stronger. The more control she had over her own power the more of it she could put into physical and kido attacks. He knew that before long she'd be ready for a lieutenant or captain position. Speaking of lieutenants...he noted that she hadn't used Aizen's lieutenant title when she said his name. Since when were they close enough for her to drop that?

"So, you and Lieutenant Aizen are all chummy now are you?" he asked raising an eyebrow to let her know he'd caught her slip up.

She blushed at his question before staring at the floor, looking as if she was trying to sort through her thoughts. "We're not exactly close..." she began slowly. "Sure I'd say he's kind of becoming a friend, and he definitely helps me out when I need it. But all in all he's still just my Lieutenant."

"Then why did you drop his title?"

Yukiko blinked a few times looking confused by his question, but it eventually clicked in her mind and she blushed again. "I-I didn't realize I had. Sorry," she murmured sheepishly. "Honestly, I was only dropping it when I talked to him cause he asked me to and kind of throws a fit when I don't. I guess I just got too used to not using it."

"So, you're not getting attached to your lieutenant?" he asked firmly.

"No...why are you...?" Yukiko started to ask but noticed the light dusting of red along his neck and on his ears. "You're not getting jealous over it are you?"

"Hardly..." Kensei scoffed crossing his arms. It irked him she'd been observant enough to notice his wariness over the situation. He just hadn't decided if it was jealousy or legitimate worry. Either way he couldn't let her know he had misgivings over her relationship. "You're supposed to be showing your superiors more respect than that."

Yukiko gave him a look at this and straightened up. "So...you're saying I should be showing you more respect too then?"

"A little respect goes a long way," Kensei answered with a smug smirk.

Yukiko frowned at him for a moment, before her eyes widened as if an idea came to her. Then she gave him the most smoldering smile he'd ever seen on her face and leaned in really close. "Well, alright then, Captain Kensei. I guess that means I should never ever..." She breathed heavily on his face and drew right up to his ear. "Do anything like this again." She pulled away and giggled at the shocked expression on his face. "After all, I have far too much respect to tease you, Captain."

Kensei was having troubles wrapping his mind around what just happened, so Yukiko said her goodbyes with a wave of her hand and another giggle, and walked out of his office. "She's been hanging around Lisa too much," he growled once he got a hold of himself. "There's no way she learned that anywhere else...well I guess Youruichi could have taught her a thing or two but I doubt she would."

Her actions had been shocking to say the least, but he wasn't complaining. The feeling of her breath on his face and tickling his ear sent shivers rushing down his spine. He only wished he hadn't been so thrown through a loop with that, if for no other reason than he could have returned the gesture and made her brain turn to mush.

No, he had to keep a lid on that. They'd already discussed it and agreed nothing could happen between them. Unfortunately his mind wouldn't allow him to just enjoy the memory of her flirting. No, he was forced to remember the slip she made with dropping Aizen's title. Somehow it was still making him feel sick to his stomach.

Making up his mind to visit Shinji soon to ask about that fact, he pulled the papers to him again and began going over it. Hopefully nothing was wrong, but considering that girl's track record, he highly doubted that.

* * *

"Man...of all the missions I could have gotten, why did it have to be this one?" Yukiko grumbled to herself as she left the squad 5 barracks. She'd just received her orders from her captain and was on her way to find someone in her squad who would be willing to accompany her. According to Shinji, she was allowed to bring one member of her choosing with her. Too bad she didn't have anyone particular in mind.

She groaned again as she headed across the grounds toward the training area hoping to find one member who wasn't busy. Any would do really.

As she was passing over the small bridge that ran over top the little stream running through the grounds, she spotted a familiar figure heading in the direction she just came from. "Hey, Aizen, where ya off to?" she asked curiously.

"Nowhere in particular," he answered easily. "May I ask you the same question?"

Yukiko thought it over and decided it couldn't hurt. Maybe he'd know someone specific she could take with her. "Well, the captain wants me to head over to the academy and look for any potential graduates. The graduation display is coming up soon and he wants to have a few people in mind before he goes. I'm supposed to take someone with me so I'm on my way to the training area to see if anyone is free."

"I see. Well it certainly sounds as if you have your hands full," he commented lightly. Still, he made no move to continue on his path or to allow her to continue on hers.

Yukiko looked him over for a bit longer before an idea suddenly reached her. "Would you be willing to join me?" she asked slowly. She was sure he didn't have anything pressing at the moment and really he wasn't the worst person to have along considering she could actually talk to him now. It could be fun.

Aizen smiled at her request and nodded. "I would be delighted. Thank you."

With that the two comrades turned towards the academy and shunpoed away.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the squad 5 captain's office, Shinji was drifting in and out of consciousness as Kensei burst into the room. It'd been awhile since he'd seen the larger captain and was hoping that the big guy would have no more reasons to pop up unannounced. Wishful thinking...

"So, what's got the great Captain Muguruma in a bind this time?" he asked in a rather bored tone.

"I just want to see how she's doing," Kensei answered taking a seat in front of Shinji's desk. Which showed this was actually a more relaxed visit...good.

"Well in answer to your question, she's doing fine," Shinji told him with a shrug. "No problems have cropped up and she's been efficiently completing every assignment I give her."

"No problems...not even with your lieutenant?" Kensei asked causing Shinji to raise an eyebrow.

"What makes you think there should be?"

"Last time she visited, a week ago," he explained guardedly. "She talked about how she was fairing here and didn't use your lieutenant's title when she said his name. Care to explain why that is?"

"He wouldn't be the first to ask her to just use his name," Shinji pointed out. "Youruichi, and that Urahara have asked her to do the same and I myself have requested she use my name...though she's ignored that one."

"Yeah, but since when has Lieutenant Aizen wanted people to just use his name," Kensei demanded. "He ain't the type to ask for that."

Shinji sighed after a time of contemplation and realized nothing he said was going to dissuade the larger captain from wanting to find out. How irritating.

"Look, it's not like I don't think he ever would, but I don't trust his motives," Kensei continued firmly.

Shinji nodded slowly. Then he did a quick sweep of the area to see if his lieutenant was close by. He didn't want the guy to be eavesdropping on this particular conversation. "I never said I did either," he finally muttered. "I even specifically told you when you wanted to transfer her here that I was worried about his intentions toward her and you wrote it off as nothing. He's always had a strange fascination with Yukiko and has seemingly made every effort to talk to her, especially alone."

"And you're just letting that happen?" Kensei demanded. He was starting to feel even more worried about their relationship thanks to this conversation, though he deliberately ignored the comment about the situation being his fault.

"Not exactly," Shinji told him. "Though it's not as if I can forbid either one from speaking to each other. All I can really do is limit the chances they have to interact. Such as sending her to different squads to visit or train, or sending one on a mission while keeping the other here. There's only so much I can do without raising suspicions you know."

"So that's why she's been spending so much time sparring with Mashiro," the larger captain muttered to himself.

It made sense and he thought himself an idiot for not catching on. Then again he felt he had a lot of less than intelligent moments where that girl was concerned.

"So, have you figured out what the deal is then?" he grumbled trying to figure out if there was a neck that needed snapping.

"No, and that's the problem," Shinji answered easily. "Although he's had a lot of...awkward moments with her, I've made sure to keep tabs on everything he does in my squad. But the only times he really displays anything is when he's with her. Other than that he's a regular lieutenant that's well liked by the other members of the squad. It's irritating really."

Kensei felt something inside him begin to boil just slightly. Something really seemed wrong about what he was just told, though he still couldn't figure out what. "Where are they now?"

"Lieutenant Aizen should be returning from a mission shortly, and Yukiko I sent with someone from the squad to assess the new graduates from the academy," Shinji explained. "Hopefully, they won't run into each other in passing."

* * *

Shippoman: Dun dun dun...well that went over well. Shinji's hope is immediately dashed and he has no idea. Not that it's his fault. Aizen's just up to his old tricks again. Why is it always with Yukiko? Well this trip to the academy should be interesting as new and old faces will be seen. But the question is, are they all as friendly as they appear? Stay tuned to find out. And please remember to R&amp;R. :D


	34. The Student's Return

Chapter 34: The Student's Return

"Ugh, why did the Captain have to send me here?" Yukiko groaned as she stepped through the entrance to the academy. The farther inside she walked, the lower her shoulders dropped.

"You don't have to be so tense you know. We are entering the academy as seated officers of the Gotei 13," Aizen told her comfortingly. "You have no reason to be ashamed."

"I know," Yukiko groaned. "That doesn't make coming back here any easier." She ran a hand through her hair as she spoke and shook her head. Then after a moment she finally lifted her eyes to scan the area. How she hated being back.

"So, since this is your mission, where do we start?" Aizen asked trying to get her mind off things.

She took a deep breath to calm herself down. "First, we should meet with the headmaster to find out how many students are about to graduate and collect any information on them we can before heading out to see them for ourselves," she answered. "After that, we simply observe each student as they practice and make note of the ones that seem promising."

"Very well," Aizen murmured. He began leading the way to the headmaster's office, knowing that Yukiko would follow, though reluctantly.

It didn't take them too long to reach the office in question, and all along the way Yukiko kept her eyes averted from anyone they passed. She knew she probably looked like an idiot and was certain Aizen had noticed, though he was kind enough not to mention anything.

When they reached the headmaster's office, she took one more calming breath before opening the door and stepping inside. First thing she noticed, was the old man sitting behind his desk with his nose in a stack of papers before him. Somehow, the thought that no one was safe from paperwork, even at the academy, made her smile in amusement.

"Yes what is it?" the old man called out brusquely. "If you couldn't tell, I'm very busy. So make this quick."

"Sir, we're here from squad 5," Yukiko began, managing to keep the nervous squeak out of her voice. "We wish to know which students are graduating so that we can assess their skills for our captain."

"That's right, Captain Hirako did mention he was sending someone," the headmaster grumbled as he finally looked up at his visitors. "I don't have any problem with..."

Yukiko felt the lump in her throat grow as the headmaster's eyes locked onto her. She knew what was coming next and mentally braced for it.

"So, you're in squad 5 now?" he asked scathingly. "What, did Captain Muguruma finally realize he'd picked up a lost cause?" The headmaster laughed a little at his own joke before looking back at her. "I can't believe Captain Hirako sent you here to observe new graduates. What was he thinking? There's no way you'll be capable of telling which ones are worth it. Especially considering you couldn't tell that you should have quit years ago."

Yukiko mentally groaned under the comments and felt her words stick in her throat. Somehow, even though she'd grown a lot since her academy days she felt herself sinking back into her old depression. After all, it's not every day she got put down by one of the people that used to be in charge of her progression. No wonder she didn't get anywhere in here.

"Sir...we really need the names of..." she tried to ask once more. Unfortunately her voice revealed her increasingly depressed state. And he jumped on it.

"I don't think it's such a good idea for someone like you to be moving around the students," he pointed out with a smirk. "I don't want them to suddenly end up injured and unable to take their final examination all because they happened to run into Ume."

Yukiko began to shake despite her efforts not to and her face began turning red from embarrassment. To make matters worse, she couldn't think of a single thing to say in her defense or to put the headmaster in his place. Her mind was entirely blank.

Then all at once, she felt a calming hand and looked up to see Aizen give her a reassuring smile before stepping forward. "Sir, regardless of how you feel toward Yukiko, the fact remains that we still require your cooperation in this matter," he stated firmly but with respect. "At the very least, we require the names of those who will be graduating at the next ceremony and a list of possible locations for where they will be this time of day."

"Ah, Lieutenant Aizen, I'm sorry I didn't see you there," the headmaster apologized. "I was a little preoccupied by the sight of this...novice." He gestured at Yukiko who's eyes were directed at the floor unable to meet either of their gazes. But at the stern look directed at him from the Lieutenant he continued. "As to your request...here are the names you wanted. Since none of the graduates have classes for the next few days in preparation of the graduation ceremony they should all be out training. Most of them tend to frequent the 3rd training ground."

"Thank you," Aizen murmured taking said list and turning toward the door. "We appreciate your assistance in this matter." He paused as he was passing by Yukiko and turned his head to look the headmaster over once more. "And for the record, Yukiko is a perfect addition to squad 5. As our 5th seat she has carried out more than her fair share of missions. As such she does not deserve your ridicule. Kindly refrain from insulting her again."

With that he left the office with the 5th seat right behind him, her mouth hanging open slightly. She didn't realize this was the case until they were out of the building once more, and promptly closed it. "Hey, Aizen...you didn't have to say anything in there, you know," she murmured sheepishly, her entire face blazing with embarrassment.

"It was necessary," he murmured in reply. "However, if you'd rather I didn't speak on your behalf, I'll refrain from doing so in the future."

"N-no, that's not what I was getting at," Yukiko exclaimed quickly. "It was just unexpected. Really though, thanks for saying what you did. It means a lot for me to hear you say that."

"I see," Aizen murmured as they continued down the path toward the training grounds. They stayed silent for a time as Yukiko tried to rid herself of her embarrassment and shame from the conversation with the headmaster, but was finding it to be rather difficult. "So, where are we heading next?"

His question was just what Yukiko needed to push the conversation to the back of her mind and focus on her next task. "The 3rd training grounds. That's where we should go," she answered, getting her more professional tone back. "After all, that's where the headmaster said we'd find the graduates."

Aizen nodded in understanding and together they made their way toward the specified training grounds in complete silence. When they arrived, they saw a rather large group of students busy training. The two of them split up and spoke with the different students, finding out which of them were graduating and then stepping back and watching them train.

They spent a good two or three hours watching the students and comparing notes about each before turning toward the exit. "So, let's see. Altogether they weren't bad," Yukiko mumbled. "There were maybe one or two that stood out to me, but even then their skills were maybe just barely above the average for their year in the academy. What do you think?"

"I don't believe any of them truly are prepared to enter the Gotei 13," Aizen answered bluntly.

"Ouch, while I can't exactly argue with you, I did feel at least some of them had some potential," she pointed out. "But, I doubt the captain will really show any interest in any of them."

"My point exactly."

Yukiko shook her head and looked over the list of students she was holding. She'd either checked or crossed off almost every name on the list. Only a few remained and she was sure that meant they were off doing something other than training. Either that or they had to find someplace else to do it, the 3rd training grounds had been packed after all.

"I guess we should head on back then and give the captain our report," she murmured tucking the list away in her shihakusho. As she did so, she suddenly felt a rise in reiatsu that she didn't recognize. "Aizen, did you feel that?" She stared off in the direction of the presence. It was so strong...who was that?

She thought she heard Aizen saying something, but her mind was so focused on the strange presence that she didn't hear it. Instead, she dashed off toward the unknown reiatsu keen on learning exactly who it belonged to.

It didn't take her long to reach it and when she did, she was blown away. The owner of the reaitsu was a child. A little boy to be exact with short silver hair and a large smile. He looked like he was around ten years old, give or take a few years. Honestly...he was kind of adorable looking.

"You know, people will wonder about your intentions if you just take off while they're talking like that."

The voice startled Yukiko to where she nearly fell over and the noise she made alerted the boy to their presence. "Sorry about just taking off, but you didn't have to scare me like that, Aizen," she grumbled in irritation. Aizen smiled in good humor and Yukiko decided to ignore him. She felt he'd done it on purpose. Jerk.

"Who are you?" The question came from the little boy who was smiling at the pair.

"Ah, sorry to disturb your practice," Yukiko apologized quickly. She noted that Aizen made no attempt to apologize and found it rather rude of him. Especially since he'd caused the disturbance in the first place. "My name is Yukiko the 5th seat of squad 5 and this is Aizen, my Lieutenant. What's yours?"

"Gin," he answered, the smile he wore seeming to grow larger. "Gin Ichimaru."

Yukiko couldn't believe it. That was one of the names she hadn't yet crossed off the list of graduates. That meant he was graduating soon. How was that possible? "Gin, how long have you been at the academy?" she asked curiously.

"Almost one year," Gin answered cheerfully.

Yukiko was blown away once again. How was that possible? Less than a year and he was already almost graduating? This kid must be a full on genius. He was the exact opposite of her. It took her three extra years to graduate, and in all technicality she never graduated. She was just brought into the Gotei without having to pass the final exam. This kid wouldn't have any issues with that if his energy was anything to go off of.

"That's impressive," Aizen commented and Yukiko realized she'd been staring at the boy in silent shock.

"Right, so Aizen and I are here to see if there are any new graduates that catch our interest," she explained as soon as she pulled herself together. "Mind if we watch you for a few minutes?"

"I don't mind," Gin answered. Then he turned away from them and returned to his training session.

His movements were fluid and full of strength. He was easily the most powerful student she'd seen thus far. And to top it off, she felt he had the ability to go much farther. He had a lot of skill with his sword and his control over his reiatsu was incredible. This boy is exactly what they'd been looking for.

"Well, it's about time we headed back," Yukiko murmured after awhile. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Gin. Maybe I'll see you again after you graduate."

"Hmm, I hope so. I'm curious about your skills too," Gin replied. "You don't look that strong but if you're really a 5th seat you've got to have at least some skills."

"Hey," Yukiko spluttered at his comment. And after all the respect she'd given him too. The kid had no manners.

"We need to get going," Aizen murmured to her. "It's getting late after all."

"R-right. Good luck with the final exams, Gin." With that the two officers left making their way back to their squad to report in.

* * *

It was dark by the time Yukiko made it to the barracks and was walking the long hallway that lead to her Captain's office. She was walking alone as Aizen had told her he'd had other matters to attend to and left early. Now, she was left to report in on her own...which suit her just fine.

In no time she was at the office door and pushed it open, pulling the list of names out of her uniform as she did so. "I'm back, Captain Hirako," she called out as she stepped inside. "Sorry it took so long. There were a lot of people graduating this year and..."

She paused when she realized there was an odd scent in the air and glanced up to see that her captain wasn't alone. He was sitting off to the side with Kensei, both of them finishing what looked like their third bottle of sake.

"Uh, sir. I didn't realize you had so much free time today," Yukiko muttered, sweating a little at the sight. She'd never seen either captain look so drunk before. It was a little depressing actually. "Are you at least coherent enough to hear my report, sir?"

"Of course I am," Shinji grunted, struggling to his feet and staggering over to his desk. "I'm not that drunk. How was the trip to the academy?"

"It was fine," she answered handing him the list and stepping back. He smelled a little too much like booze. She really wanted to leave quickly so she kept going with her report. "I had a few troubles with the headmaster at first but it was nothing that couldn't be rectified. After that I observed the students on that list and made a mark for each one I believed to be promising. The only name there that I would say is truly worth close scrutiny is Gin Ichimaru. He's only been at the academy for a year and is already up for graduation. I saw him train first hand and he's really incredible."

"I see. Thank you," Shinji replied glancing over the list. There were very few that had a favorable mark. The rest were crossed out entirely.

"If that's everything, sir, I'll be on my way," she told him firmly. She wanted nothing more than to leave right then.

"Hold on, I need you to escort Kensei back to his squad," Shinji answered. "He'll get lost in the state he's in."

"I won't get lost," Kensei growled. Yukiko was impressed to hear there was no slur in his speech. It was just a lot slower. "I'm just buzzed. I can find my way on my own."

Yukiko was about to believe him, that is until he nearly stumbled through the wall. She sighed and pulled his arm over her shoulders. "Just let me help. It'll take you all night if you go alone," she groaned, trying to ignore the smell. "I'll be back shortly, Captain."

"Have fun!" he called out in a teasing manner.

Yukiko rolled her eyes, but she still wrapped her arm around Kensei's waist and helped him leave the room before using shunpo to quickly pull him along to his squad. "So, is there a reason you were drinking heavily with my captain?" she asked slowly. "I figured having random drinking nights was Captain Shunsui's thing, not yours."

"I just felt like havin' a drink that's all," Kensei grumbled trying to pull himself off her shoulder with no success.

"Really...cause it sure seemed like you were trying to forget something to me," she commented. "Why else would you go through so much sake?"

"I said it's nothing."

"Liar."

"Drop it."

"Not happening."

"There's no real reason."

"Just spill it already."

Kensei growled in irritation but he finally caved. "Fine...wha'ts the deal...with you and Lieutenant Aizen?"

Yukiko paused on her way and looked down at him. "What are you talking about?"

"Before...you dropped his title when you said his name," he clarified. "When'd you get so close?"

Yukiko blinked in confusion for several moments before it clicked as to what he was talking about. "Really, that's what's got you so nervous?" she laughed making him growl again. "Look, Kensei. I promise there's nothing going on. Truth is, it irritates him when I use his title so I just got in the habit of not using it when talking to him. I guess I accidentally dropped it when I mentioned him to you before. Sorry if I worried you."

Kensei straightened up a bit before locking eyes with her. "Are you sure?"

"Course I'm sure," she chuckled again. "Besides..." she reached up and stroked his chin with her hand and smiled softly. "You're the only one I have my eyes on...idiot." He glanced away, pulling his face away from her touch and she sighed. "Look, I know we agreed no to do anything considering your position as a captain, and you're worried about me being used against you," she murmured getting him to look at her again. "But, right now I'm working on something special that should make me stronger. So, I was wondering, if I can become strong enough would you...be willing to at least...give it a try?"

Kensei looked her over and felt his already sluggish brain slow down. "What do you mean...strong enough?"

"Strong enough to make you feel I can look after myself, I mean," she explained. "Like...if I became as strong as you."

Kensei tried to think it over for a moment, looking for any reason to tell her no. But honestly, if she was powerful enough that he wouldn't have to worry about someone being able to use her against him, then what would be keeping him from taking that step? Absolutely nothing. "I guess," he finally answered. "Sure, if you somehow manage to become as strong as me...I'll give it a shot."

"Promise?"

"Yeah...promise."

Yukiko was thrilled with this and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek before continuing on to squad 9. "Alright, you promised. When I finish with my training I'll make sure to show you what I've got," she told him excitedly. "And I'll come up with something for us to do for a first date. I'll have to do some research for that."

She giggled at the groan he released and was sure he only promised her because of the alcohol. But still, a promise was a promise and she had every intention of holding him to it. Now, all she had to do was finish her training.

* * *

Shippoman: Awe, Kensei promised to date her if she got stronger. Well if that doesn't work as motivation nothing will. And it looks like Gin's almost entering the Gotei. What sort of change with this bring to the already interesting dynamic? Stay tuned to find out.


	35. Squad 12's Captain

**Chapter 35: Squad 12's Captain**

"I'm here, Captain. I heard you had a mission for...me?" Yukiko had been in the middle of a training session with the non-seated members of her squad when she received a summons from her Captain. In the message, he'd expressed that she needed to hurry to his office for a mission. So of course she was confused when she entered her captain's office only to find him not there. "Where'd he go now?"

"Captain Hirako and Lieutenant Aizen were summoned to squad 1," a small voice explained to her in amusement.

Yukiko glanced down and to her left to see that the 7th seat had come in with her. "Hi, Gin." It'd been almost half a year since she first met the small silver haired boy, and for more than half of it he was the 7th seat of her squad. Just as she expected, he was extremely powerful for his age and for only being at the academy for a year, but she also found he was entertaining to be around. In fact, in the last couple months he'd become one of her favorite people to hang out with in her squad. "Any idea why they were summoned so suddenly?"

"I heard it had something to do a new captain," he answered, his eternal smile in place.

"I see...so they found someone for squad 10 then?" she asked pleased to know a new captain was coming in. After all, the last captain of squad 10 had died in the line of duty awhile ago. It was about time.

"I don't know," Gin answered though it was clear he had information of some sort. His grin widened as he turned toward her and handed over what looked like a mission folder. "Captain Hirako wanted you to complete this while he was gone."

Yukiko sighed and took the folder before looking through it. Despite her best efforts, her mind began to wander as she thought about the new promotion of a captain; wondering who was taking the position.

"So...he wants me to head to squad 12," she murmured out loud in order to force her mind back to her new task. "To deliver a gift to the captain? What could he possibly have for Captain Hikifune? What's the occasion? Is it her birthday or something?"

"Is that really important since this is an order?" Gin murmured mischievously. "Or are ya gonna ignore it until ya get an answer? I bet he'd love to know yer reasoning."

Yukiko flinched at his words and groaned. He had a point. Her Captain did get upset when his orders weren't followed...unless there was a legitimate reason behind it that is. Too bad she didn't have one. "Alright," she muttered sliding the mission info into her shihakusho. "Did he tell you where the gift was?"

She looked over at the small 7th seat to see that he was already holding out a small package with his grin widening. "I'm surprised ya didn' notice...I was holding it the whole time," he teased. "And ta think, yer usually more observant that this."

Yukiko blushed slightly in embarrassment before taking the package and heading for the exit. "A-alright. I'm going now," she muttered, stumbling over her words in an effort to get her embarrassment hidden. "Just do me a favor and make sure the Captain doesn't get upset at me for not being back until tomorrow. Considering what time it is I'll probably have to spend the night there."

She glanced back and saw Gin's smile turn slightly reassuring. "Sure thing," he seemed to laugh. "I'll tell him just that."

With that Yukiko thanked him once more, before leaving through the door with the small packaged gift in hand. As she dashed toward the squad 12 barracks, her mind went over her earlier questions; what gift is she bringing for Captain Hikifune? What's the purpose? Could her captain possibly have a thing for the baking captain? At this thought her cheeks started turning red and she shook her head to clear it, there was no way after all. Still, she couldn't wait to see what was up, so she tightened her hold of the package and sped up to reach squad 12 all the faster.

* * *

By the time she reached squad 12 it was well after dark even with all the short cuts she took to get there. She pushed herself almost to the limit to arrive before it got too late and walked into the captain's office just after 10 PM. "C-Captain Hikifune...Captain Hirako wanted me to give you this...gift," she panted and then looked around the office.

Unfortunately, there was no one in the office and all the personal items that had been there before were missing. Now that she thought about it, she couldn't feel Captain Hikifune's reiatsu anywhere. Nor Hiyori's for that matter. Did that mean they were also summoned to Squad 1? It would make sense if it was for the induction of a new captain. So why did her captain send her here knowing there was a good chance she wouldn't be here anyway?

"Uh, can I help you with something?"

The warm voice startled Yukiko who nearly fell over thanks to her leaning heavily against the door frame in exhaustion. Once she steadied herself she glanced around to see a tall young man with light brown hair that gently curled atop his head, framing his soft face. "Uh, yeah. I'm looking for Captain Hikifune. I have something for her," she explained slowly.

"Oh, well Captain Hikifune isn't here so..." the man began scratching the back of his head nervously.

"Oh...in that case, is there somewhere I can stay for the night?" she asked with a tired smile. "I would return to my squad tonight, but in my current state I don't think I can make it."

"Uh, yeah," the guy answered gesturing awkwardly at his side. "This way."

Yukiko followed the squad 12 member through the barracks to a small room that housed on a single twin bed and a small bathroom. The guest room wasn't much to look at in her opinion, but as tired as she was Yukiko was just glad to have a bed to sleep on. As she stepped into the room, she wearily thanked the man before closing the door and making her way to the lone bed. As she went, she pulled the small package from her shihakusho and placed it gently on the floor next to the bed before collapsing on the mattress and drifting off to sleep.

She awoke hours later with the rise of the sun only to jump out of bed when she heard a loud crash. Wondering what was going on, she quickly grabbed her things, straightened her hair and hurried toward the source of the sound. Not surprising, when she reached the spot, she found Hiyori seething over a soul reaper that was lying in the center of a dust cloud.

"H-hey, Hiyori," she greeted curious as to what was going on. "Some lackey piss you off again?"

"W-what are you doing here?" the short lieutenant demanded.

Before Yukiko could explain, the downed soul reaper popped up and smiled at her. "Ah, Yukiko, I didn't expect to see you here. How's your training progressing?"

Yukiko blinked in surprise seeing the blonde haired 3rd seat from squad 2 addressing her. What surprised her even more was the captain's Haori he wore on his back. "K-Kisuke, why are you...are you a captain now? When did...?"

"Oh yes, this probably is a very confusing situation right now," he surmised rubbing his head in a rather sheepish manner. "But as you can see, I am now the captain of squad 12, since Captain Hikifune was promoted anyway."

"Captain Hikifune was promoted?" Yukiko exclaimed. Why couldn't her captain tell her that before she left? It was kind of important information after all. "Since when? Promoted to what?"

"Since last week," Urahara explained easily. " She was actually promoted to squad 0, the Royal Guard."

"Royal Guard," Yukiko repeated in awe. The royal guard after all was a group of soul reapers dedicated to protecting the soul king. It was a mystery to most how exactly one became part of the royal guard, until now anyway. Who'd have thought it possible to be promoted beyond a captain?

"By the way, Yukiko, is there a reason you've come here today?"

Yukiko was going to brush aside his question when she remembered the odd request given to her by her captain. To give the gift to the captain of squad 12, with no specification of a name. He was always good about giving names when it was something important...unless he wanted to surprise her on who it was. He did it to her again.

"I'm actually supposed to give this to the captain of squad 12," she explained pulling out the package from her shihakusho. "Considering Captain Hirako said it was a gift...I'm guessing he meant for the new captain of squad 12. So...here you go."

Urahara accepted the package with a warm smile. "Thank you," he expressed lightly, before tucking the package out of sight. Then he prepared to say something else before getting cut off by a fist in his face that threw him back several feet.

"You don't deserve any sort of welcome or congratulations!" Hiyori shouted angrily, her entire body shaking as she yelled.

"Uh, Hiyori, don't you think that was a bit much?" Yukiko asked sweating a little. The small lieutenant just glared at her in response before taking off.

"I guess that's my answer," the young 5th seat thought as she moved over to Urahara's side. "She always was really close to Captain Hikifune. It makes sense that she'd be upset, but taking it out on Kisuke's not the way to deal with it."

"Sorry you had to see that, Yukiko," Urahara expressed as he took her offered hand and returned to his feet. "I was honestly hoping to have that settled before you came to visit."

"You don't have to apologize, Kisuke," she replied easily. "I know Hiyori's upset, and honestly I kind of am too. Not because you became the captain or anything. It's just, even though I wasn't a part of squad 12, I would have liked to say goodbye to Captain Hikifune. I'm just sad I didn't get the chance. I have to wonder whether or not she was able to."

Urahara ran a hand through his hair in thought before allowing his normal smile to grace his features. "Well, thank you for the gift and for the assistance. You should probably head back now though, you never know when Captain Hirako will have something else for you."

"Yeah, I know." Yukiko made sure she had everything she came with, minus the gift, before giving Urahara a heart felt hug. "Good luck being a captain, Kisuke," she murmured softly. "Maybe I'll come by every once in awhile. Just to spar for a bit."

"I think I'd enjoy that." Urahara waved merrily and Yukiko returned the gesture before running off. She still had a few hours of travel before returning to her own squad after all.

As she traveled she couldn't help but smile at the idea of Kisuke Urahara being a captain of his own squad. As weird and random as he seemed, she couldn't see him taking responsibility for an entire squad. Then again, he was a third seat in charge of the prison at squad 2. Maybe he'd surprise everyone and end up being the best captain ever. At the very least it'd be interesting to find out how he planned on dealing with a pissed off Hiyori. Who knew, this change could be really good for her.

* * *

A few days later, Yukiko finally managed to find a bit of time to herself. Time she wasn't expected to be on a mission, or visiting someone for whatever reason, or secret training with Youruichi. It was just her out behind the barracks relaxing on the grass next to the stream. Unfortunately her thoughts wouldn't allow her to fully relax. They kept going back to the fact she'd been kept in the dark about Captain Hikifune's promotion.

It hurt to know that her captain had kept something from her. Granted the information wasn't that important and didn't really have anything to do with her since she wasn't apart of the same squad, but considering how much she'd seen of the female captain she would have liked at least a little heads up.

Anyway, that wasn't completely what was bothering her. Rather she was concerned to know if anything else was being hidden from her.

As she lay there, staring up at the passing clouds, her view of the sky was suddenly obstructed by a curious face. "Oh, hey Gin," she greeted smiling up at the silver haired child. "Do you have the day off too?"

"Naw, jus passin' through," he answered gleefully. "Should ya really be jus hangin' around?"

"I have the day off," she explained easily.

"It ain't safe bein' alone ya know," he pointed out.

"Yeah, I know," she sighed. "I still can't believe there are no leads. I mean how can our third seat be killed in our area and no one have seen anything? It's kind of disconcerting."

"That's jus' cus squad 9 screwed up, ne?" Gin guessed teasingly.

"I didn't think lazing around was a normal part of your days off," another voice chuckled. "Don't you usually spend your time training or at least visiting the other squads?"

Yukiko quickly sat up, forgetting about Gin's last comment, and stared at the new comer before plopping back down in an attempt to relax. "Aizen. Today's an off day," she replied staring at the clouds again.

"I see. You have somewhere to be, right, Gin?" Aizen murmured calmly. The silver haired boy nodded before disappearing around the barracks. Once the boy was out of sight the lieutenant sat down on the grass next to the female soul reaper. "I can see that something has your mind occupied. Why don't you tell me what it is?"

Yukiko continued to stare at the sky, but she did crack a smile. "Yeah, you could say that," she agreed. "I heard Captain Hikifune moved on. I was just wondering why I didn't get the chance to say goodbye before she took off."

"I see. You miss her?" he asked curiously.

"Well, yeah. She was pretty good to me, despite me not being a part of her squad," she answered moving to a seated position and leaning over her knees.

"I understand," Aizen murmured gently. "She really did play a rather large roll in your continued presence here after all."

"Yeah, she was really..." Yukiko paused part way through her reply when she realized exactly what he'd said. "What do you mean? It's not like I had any plans to go anywhere."

She noticed the surprised expression on his face which he quickly tried to hide while the slightest tinge of pink appeared on his cheeks. "I apologize. I've spoken out of turn," he said, quickly moving to his feet.

"Woah, woah. You can't just cut it off there," Yukiko protested jumping to her feet as well. "What exactly were you talking about?"

"It's really not my place to say if it hasn't already been relayed to you," he tried to reason. She glared at him, showing that she had no intention of letting him leave until he'd explained himself and he sighed. "You are right to be concerned about things being hidden from you. This was one of them. But I'd rather not mention it, as it might change your opinion of the captains you serve with."

Yukiko felt her stomach drop at his statement but she couldn't ignore it. So, despite her sword telling her she didn't need to know, she clenched her fists and took a deep breath. "Aizen, please tell me."

* * *

Shippoman: Oops, looks like Aizen's about to let the cat out of the bag. What will Yukiko do if she finds out about where she nearly ended up? Or will it really make any difference at all. Stay tuned to find out.

Note: I just wanted to apologize for taking so long with this one, especially since it wasn't any longer than my other chapters. I've been having horrible writer's block on this story lately but I still plan on trying to go back to a chapter every week. We'll see how it goes next week. I hope Gin's speech didn't bother anyone, and I can't remember if I had him talking like this when she ran into him at the academy, but I did remember that he had a different dialect as a child that he grew out of so I wanted to make sure that was represented. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and the last few will be coming soon.


	36. The Truth Comes Out

Chapter 36: The Truth Comes Out

"You are right to be concerned about things being hidden from you. This was one of them. But I'd rather not mention it, as it might change your opinion of the captains you serve with."

Yukiko felt her stomach drop at his statement but she couldn't ignore it. So, despite her sword telling her she didn't need to know, she clenched her fists and took a deep breath. "Aizen, please tell me."

"I suppose that as long as you promise not to let our captain know I told you, it should be fine," he agreed after a few moments.

"I won't..." she promised feeling her anxiety over the issue spike. "Just please tell me what it is."

"Very well," he conceded. The lieutenant gestured for her to sit down and she did so waiting for his explanation. "You see, the first year you were hear was more of a trial period as far as Central 46 was concerned."

"Why would Central 46 care about me being a soul reaper?" Yukiko asked feeling her stomach tighten.

"Because, from the time you were in the academy until you began training with Captain Shihoin, you were under scrutiny thanks to your uncontrollable power," Aizen explained.

Yukiko felt her gut drop completely. They were worried about her lack of control, from all the way back then? "O-okay...I guess it's not surprising they'd know about my accidents," she tried to reason, hoping it wasn't as bad as it sounded.

"There was talk for a long time about you possibly becoming a threat to Soul Society," Aizen continued. "You came very close to being sent to the Hive."

Yukiko recoiled at this and a new explanation for why her time with squad 9 began in such an odd fashion. The trips to the different captains, the strange tests, the stringent training, the scolding when she failed. She was going to be taken away...sent to a prison for those deemed a danger to soul society. All because she'd had accidents in the academy and no one had been willing to show her how to fix her skills.

She tried again and again to reassure herself that it wasn't as close as he made it sound, but a part of her realized he wouldn't have said it if it wasn't. Considering she was unable to speak, Aizen took that moment to continue and explained about the meetings that took place concerning her, the steps that Kensei took to ensure they wouldn't imprison her, and finally what led to the final verdict.

When he finally finished she slowly got to her feet and bowed respectfully to him. "Thank you, for telling me, Aizen," she murmured, her eyes revealing the near broken state of mind she was in. "I have to go now...excuse me."

With that she turned and made her way back to her room where she collapsed onto her bed and stared off into space. She felt her heart breaking under the weight of everything she learned and her brain was replaying the information she'd received over and over without stopping. She had something that huge hidden from her from the day she entered the Gotei 13. She felt like she'd been lied to by everyone she knew.

Kensei, Youruichi, Mashiro, Eishima, Toudo, Captain Hirako, Rose, Love, Kisuke...everyone. Even though she knew in her heart they hadn't lied to her, she couldn't help the slight feeling of betrayal. They'd kept something that important from her and even after almost four years of her being there it took Aizen mentioning by accident for her to even find out.

It hurt, more than anything she'd experienced so far...and she had no idea what she was going to do about it. The feelings of betrayal and confusion became so overwhelming that she burst into silent sobs that led to her passing out.

She slept fitfully, as thoughts of her favorite captains holding back information from her flitted through her mind. She could see them agreeing to keep her in the dark about the dumbest things and then laughing about it. It was so frustrating to deal with that tears leaked out of her eyes.

When she woke the next morning, she had to brush the tears off her cheeks before doing anything else. The last thing she wanted was to alert anyone to the doubt and pain she was experiencing. Still, she knew she was going to have to perform her duties regardless of what her mental state was. So before heading out to speak with her captain she thought over her options.

One, she could ignore it and try to go about her business like nothing happened. That wouldn't work, she was having enough troubles just trying to sleep knowing this happened. Two, she could confront her captain or Kensei about it and hope they'd explain the situation to her. That wouldn't be good either. It nothing else, she'd probably come off as accusing them of trying to get rid of her. She couldn't do that to them after everything they did for her.

A few other ideas ran through her mind but none of them really made her feel confident they'd work. So she decided to go with whatever felt like it'd be the easiest to accomplish. She wouldn't confront any of them, for fear of appearing as if she was accusing them of agreeing with the terrified idiots. No, instead she'd wait. If and when the subject happened to come up, she'd ask them as casually as possible. But until then, she'd keep the fact that she knew to herself. She could do it as long as she thought it in the realms of possible for someone else to bring it up. With her decision firmly in place, she headed out to start her day with her squad.

* * *

A year and a half later, Yukiko found herself relaxing next to the stream that ran through squad 5 once again. She'd needed to take moments like this much more over the year or so as it became harder and harder to keep her frustration hidden. Luckily, she was able to vent every so often to Aizen or Gin, which made it more bearable. Sometimes she was even lucky enough to talk to Tousen, though she never explained her situation to him. She was afraid he'd alert Kensei to her problem.

So she suffered in silence day in and day out, waiting for the time when one of them would tell her of the incident; if they ever told her.

As she sat next to the stream gazing at the running water, she tried to decide a better way to settle the problem. Simply waiting was draining and she could feel the uncertainty and frustration slowly eating away at her. She knew that she wouldn't be able to act like nothing was wrong for much longer, not like she was doing such a good job anyway. She'd been asked who knew how many times to explain what was wrong to dozens of people since Aizen had told her the secret they'd been keeping from her.

She felt the weight on her shoulders weighing her down more and more until she heard a sound behind her that made her jump several feet in the air. Once she'd calmed herself down, she looked at who had approached her and wasn't to surprised to see her captain standing there with his more amused looking frown.

"Someone's wound tighter than Hiyori around her captain," Shinji grumbled. "What's the matter with you?"

"Uh...nothing," Yukiko answered averting her gaze. She'd been doing that a lot more lately and knew it was probably bothering him. She wouldn't blame him if it was.

"Uh-huh...well at any rate, aren't you supposed to be somewhere soon?" he asked crossing his arms in front of him.

She looked up at him in confusion for a few minutes. Then all at once it hit her where she was supposed to be and her face went white. "Shit...sorry. What time is it?" she asked panicked.

"Almost 11," he answered with a chuckle. It always amused him when she swore. It almost never happened, but when it did she always apologized right afterward, almost as if she was afraid he'd be angry at her for it. It didn't matter to him if she swore or not, he was her captain not her dad.

"Crap, I'm gonna be late," she moaned, grabbing her sword off the ground and rushing toward squad 2. "Youruichi's gonna kill me."

Shinji laughed silently to himself as he watched her scrambling as quickly as she could across the building. She'd been acting strange for a long time now and refused to say anything to him or Kensei which had him worried. Still, it was moments like that that showed she was still the same Yukiko he knew. He just hoped that whatever it was that was distracting her would be over soon.

* * *

Yukiko dashed from squad to squad moving as fast as she could without exhausting herself. She was supposed to be going through her secret training with Youruichi that morning and knew she wouldn't reach the right area until well into the afternoon. She was going to be in so much trouble.

As she ran, Soyokaze reminded her of the problem she was facing and that she needed to get it off her chest soon or she'd end up exploding in anger at one of them. Something she really didn't want to do.

By the time she reached the hidden training area in the side of a nearby cliff, she'd come up with a plan. She wouldn't say anything so long as Youruichi didn't ask her if she was alright. The question usually came up so she was counting on that to happen in order to find the courage to voice the question burning her insides. This time...she would say something. She had to...

When Yukiko entered the hidden training ground, she was slightly surprised to not see the spry captain anywhere. She took several wary steps inside looking every which way in case a punishment kick was coming her way.

She wasn't paying close enough attention as a kick suddenly landed on the back of her head knocking her several yards away and crashing into one of the boulders. By the time she came to a halt her head was spinning and the figure before her was coming in and out of focus.

"You're late," Youruichi scolded. "You're rarely late, did something happen?"

"No, I just lost track of time," Yukiko answered as she sat up and shook the fuzzies out of her head. It was only then that she realized the tone her addled brain had gone with and mentally face-palmed. She wasn't really that upset so why did she allow herself to sound that way. Youruichi was obviously blown away by it too, based on the startle expression she was showing.

The captain sighed and slowly took a seat in front of Yukiko and gave the most commanding glare she'd ever seen her give. "Alright, I know something's been bugging you for a while," she began. "Your training has been suffering, you aren't focused on your missions, you've been close to fighting the other captains on numerous occasions, and from what I heard you almost yelled at Mashiro. What's wrong?"

Yukiko swallowed hard. She hadn't anticipated the question to come so soon and wanted to retreat...maybe put off answering for another time. However, her sword kept pushing her to answer so after several moments of strained silence she groaned and put her head in her hands.

"I'm really sorry, Youruichi," she murmured in depression. "I tried to pretend it didn't affect me at all, but I can't keep going like that...I have to know why."

"Why what?"

"Why didn't any of you tell me that I was almost sent to the Hive?"

Whatever Youruichi was expecting, it was clear this wasn't it. She took a few moments to assess the young 5th seat before responding. "Where'd you hear that?"

"I promised I wouldn't say anything," Yukiko explained. "But suffice it to say they let it slip believing that I'd already been told. After hearing...all of that...why wasn't I? Did you think I couldn't handle it, or that I'd turn on you when I found out that none of you believed in me?"

Youruichi held up her hand to get the emotional soul reaper to calm down. Then she went on to explain the pains that she, Kensei, and Shinji went through to not only prove she could handle herself but that even if she didn't currently have the qualities they were looking for her fast growth would soon correct that.

"As for why you weren't told, we decided to let that be left to Kensei's discretion," she explained calmly. "Honestly I saw no reason why you shouldn't be aware of the circumstances, once they'd been rectified anyway."

"Right...it makes sense you wouldn't tell me anything while it was going on," Yukiko agreed. "I'm the type of person who would have freaked out and probably made far more mistakes getting me into even more trouble."

Youruichi laughed at that and nodded. "I don't know why he opted not to tell you, but I am sure he had his reasons," she continued. "Besides, considering how long it's been since the incident...does it really matter what happened?"

"Of course it does!" Yukiko exclaimed, jumping to her feet; her fists tightening at her sides. "It would have had a huge impact on my life, probably the largest impact I'd ever experienced. And yet, he didn't think I needed to know? I had a right to know, didn't I?"

Youruichi raised a hand to silence the upset 5th seat, stood up as well, and shook her head. "Yukiko, take a moment and look at how upset you are," she ordered. The younger soul reaper did so and was surprised to know just how angry she really was. "Now look back on how you've been treating everyone this last year. Yes, I have noticed...and I'm not the only one."

Yukiko shrank back at the thought. She'd been trying not to show anything, but she knew she'd been rather standoffish to almost everyone...everyone except for Aizen anyway.

"Now. If you'd heard what happened all those years ago, can you honestly tell me you wouldn't be this upset over it?" Youruichi asked, smiling to herself as she saw the realization dawning on the girl before her. "Can you tell me that you wouldn't be angry at, or fearful of the others like you have been?"

After a few moments of contemplation, Yukiko hung her head in defeat. "No, I'd probably still be upset," she admitted leaning against the remains of the boulder she'd crashed into for support. "It really hurts...knowing they were all going to just send me off...all because I had a hard time controlling myself during my academy days. How could they do that so easily?"

"Believe me, it wasn't an easy choice...for anyone," the captain murmured placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "But even so, I can tell you that it won't be a question coming up any time soon. You've proven to everyone time and time again that you can handle yourself now. It would take something rather drastic to change their minds now."

Yukiko had to smile somewhat at this and she nodded. She was starting to understand why it wouldn't have been a good idea to know, and maybe Kensei had been thinking about this all along. Maybe she had been better off in the dark. At least she wouldn't be upset at anyone. She glanced up at the captain before her, and felt the irritation and anger slip away as she stared into those kind and gentle eyes.

"_You see, you were worrying yourself sick over nothing,"_ Soyokaze whispered in Yukiko's mind.

"Yeah, I know," she mentally replied. "I've really been an idiot over this past year. I even let myself fall behind in my training...the training I asked for!"

"_Then fix it."_

Yukiko nodded despite knowing the captain hadn't heard the short conversation in her head. "You're right, Youruichi," she murmured, and the old flare of determination shown in her eyes once more. "And I even let all this pointless worry keep me from progressing. I'm sorry I've wasted your time until now. I won't let it happen any longer." With that she brandished her sword and braced herself. "I promise, from now until this is finished. You'll see a different me."

"Good to know," Youruichi laughed. Then she sank into a fighting stance. "We have a lot of ground to cover to make up for it. Begin!"

* * *

Shippoman: Wow, stupid Aizen. Dropping that bomb shell on her. At least she had Youruichi to talk to to get it all cleared up. Too bad it took over a year to get there, but as long as the path is reached it doesn't really matter. I've only got two or three more chapters left so please remember to R&amp;R. Let me know what you think so I can make the end that much more awesome.


	37. The Final Push

Chapter 37: The Final Push

It was dark when Gin walked into the laboratory he and his two companions were using as a headquarters. More like his two superiors, but he wasn't in the mood for splitting hairs. It was time to report in.

"Ah, Gin, how's our experiment progressing?" The man who asked was standing near the television screens that showed images of different areas around the seireitei.

"It's good," Gin answered with his smile. "She's gettin' more 'n more depressed. Though, she did seem ta be pickin' herself up afta her trainin'."

"Hmm..." Aizen mused as he turned back to the screens and shifted one of them until it stopped on the female in question. She was standing around on her own and seemed far happier than she had in a while. "I see..."

"Does this mean we're gonna scrap it?" Gin asked curiously. He didn't have any real reason to ask, but he did find it interesting that so much effort was being put into this girl. What made Aizen so interested in her?

"No...I believe there's still an opening for one final push," Aizen murmured, a dark smile forming on his lips.

Gin didn't know what this final push was, but he didn't think it would go nearly as well as his leader thought. One thing he'd learned spending time with her, she was unpredictable and could change at the drop of a hat. He was pretty sure, that by the time Aizen managed to carry out his "Final Push", she'd be back to normal and it'd have no affect.

* * *

"Gahh!"

Yukiko quickly sat up and stared around herself in confusion. She'd fallen asleep on the grass again and something startled her awake, though she couldn't really identify what. After a moment of searching she decided it was probably nothing and flopped back down on the ground.

She was exhausted, even after sleeping for at least an hour she was still tired. She'd made good on her promise to make up for lost time with Youruichi by working her butt off and it was paying off. She was so close to finishing, she could feel it. But even so, she knew that the past year wasn't enough to put the finishing touches on her training. She'd heard that not everyone could reach the point she was striving for. There was no guarantee she'd succeed...but she still had to try.

Deciding she'd stayed in that spot for long enough, Yukiko sat back up and yawned looking over at the river. As she did so, a series of ripples became apparent while a gentle breezed brushed past her. When the wind died down it was gone. She blinked a few times before shaking her head and getting to her feet.

"I really shouldn't take naps out in the open like this," she muttered to herself. "I usually see strange things when I do."

"_They're not that strange if you think about it," _her sword murmured softly.

"What are you talking about Soyokaze? The only times I've ever seen those ripples were when I was overexerting myself or just plain tired," Yukiko pointed out. "Besides, I'm the only one that sees them anyway, that's bad enough."

"_That may be, but why is it you only brush what you see aside? What about the times you've heard things no one else could? You never ignored those."_

"That's different," Yukiko argued. "I can hear sounds carried by the wind. I do it all the time on purpose. These ripples are nothing like that."

"_Tell me then, what does it sound like, when you hear the hollows no one else can? Think back to the first time you heard it, before you became so dependent on that ability."_

Yukiko groaned but did as she was asked. The first time she ever heard an attacking hollow before anyone else knew it was there she was just a child. It was the incident where she learned she had such a strong power. The incident that killed three of her friends, one by her own hand.

"I remember it. I heard it clearly. I tried to convince them to leave but no one would believe me." She blinked a few times trying to keep the tears she knew wanted to appear from falling. "What are you getting at?"

"_Was it really that clear? Think again."_

Once again Yukiko thought back. It really was a long time ago so she knew her memories of the incident wouldn't be completely accurate, but she was sure it'd been clear. That's why she'd been so adamant about getting her friends out.

No...wait that wasn't right. She didn't fully believe it at first. She was going to ignore it believing her friends were right and that she was just hearing things. It really hadn't been that clear...

"Okay, so it was a little garbled. I still don't get what you're trying to say."

"_How was it garbled. Describe the sound. Describe what made it unclear."_

"Uh...okay. It was kind of muffled. The sound blended together a little. Almost like...actually now that I think about it, it reminds me of when I was a kid and we tried to see who we could understand the best when they said something under water."

"_So to you it sounded as if the sound was traveling through water."_

"Yeah, I guess. And...actually I think all the times I heard it it sounded like that. I just believed it so readily that I mistook it for being clear. I practically ignored the muffled bit."

"_What else appears as if it's passing through water?"_

"You are going to explain your point right?" Yukiko asked feeling mildly irritated with the guessing game. When her sword didn't reply she thought once more while glancing at the nearby stream. "You mean the ripples. Instead of sound, it's the image passing through. The stuff I happen to catch when the wind blows. Are you saying they're connected somehow?"

"_Well why not? The hollows you've faced where only you could hear them, it was as if their presence was being masked by something. And every time you see the ripples the same thing applies. Something looks like it's being hidden but is only seen when the wind blows. Or heard."_

"But, that's implying someone is doing that on purpose. There's no one around capable of that sort of power. No Hollows have been reported being able to mask themselves or other hollows like that."

"_No hollows have been, but there is something that is capable of hiding what you see. You've seen that ability before."_

Yukiko thought it over. An ability that could hide what you see...not just hide, but change it. Then it hit her. "You mean Aizen? Sure the guy is able to use illusions, but nothing so good Captain Hirako or Kensei couldn't see through."

"_Are you certain? His sword is a water elemental. Are you saying that it's impossible for him to to keep his true power hidden from the others when his entire skill is illusions?"_

"Well, you got a point. It is rather peculiar," she reluctantly agreed. "That and I did think I saw him in one of the ripples."

"_You've also said before how the ripples seem like what happens when a breeze brushes along the surface of still water. Wouldn't that be exactly what his illusions are? Still water?"_

Yukiko frowned. Her sword was making a good point, but she didn't think it was him. Maybe some other soul reaper gained a similar power but one that was undetectable. After all, Aizen had helped her on numerous occasions and he seemed a little too meek to pull something like that off. What would he gain by masking hollows and himself anyway?

"I get it, he does seem suspicious. If it'll make you feel better I'll talk to the captain about it later...but I won't be making any actual accusations. I don't have any proof after all. All I have is something only I'm able to see. You can't exactly use that in a case against someone."

"_I understand, but I believe you should be wary of him until you know for sure. Him and Tousen."_

"Kaname? Why him?"

She didn't get an answer as at that moment she felt a familiar presence and turned to see none other than Aizen standing beside her. "I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?" he asked curiously.

Yukiko shook her head and mentally berated herself for not noticing him sooner. She knew he hadn't heard any of the conversation she'd just had since it only happened in her head but she still felt awkward about him walking in on her.

"Not really, just relaxing and having a conversation with my sword," she answered casually. "It is the first real day off I've had in months after all."

"That's right, you've been rather busy lately. Training at squad 2, missions left and right. You haven't even taken time to visit the other squads like usual," he returned with a warm smile. "Whatever this training is must be quite important."

"Yeah it is," Yukiko answered easily. She looked up at him and smiled. She hadn't really had a chance to talk to him since her talk with Youruichi. It was mostly her own fault for wanting to catch up on the time she wasted worrying over stupid things but still. She realized she really had been neglecting everyone else. Mashiro was probably mad at her...and so in turn was Kensei. "But I can't really take too many breaks from it. I need to finish it. Only then will I be satisfied with my strength."

"That's unusual," he chuckled. "Since when have you been so focused on strength?"

"It doesn't really matter," she told him mischievously. "You'll just have to wait and see like everyone else. Only when it's done will I show it to anyone."

"Then I can't wait."

Yukiko grinned at him again and felt her sword nag at her a little. She looked him over again and found herself doubting herself once again. There's no way he had anything to do with the hollows. He just wasn't the type.

As she stood there lost in thought she suddenly realized he'd pulled much closer to her than she was used to. She looked into his eyes in confusion and felt her cheeks redden, though she couldn't really understand why.

"You know, Yukiko, I know you've been working hard to make it possible to have a relationship with a captain," he murmured startling her. "However, except for very special circumstances and only when you aren't in their squad will it be allowed."

"Wh-what makes you think I'm...?"

He gently placed a finger against her lips silencing her. "You're the only one working on that relationship...and it's only going to end up getting you hurt," he murmured, his voice rumbling through her body because of their close proximity. "However, there are no restrictions on Lieutenants." He let the words hover in the space between them as he gently moved his hand over to her cheek, lightly stroking it.

"Aizen, what are you...?"

"It would please me greatly if you called me, Sousuke."

The request and brush made Yukiko's face burn and her heart leapt into her throat. "What's going on?" she wondered to herself. "Aizen's not acting like himself. Where is all of this coming from?"

As she stared into his eyes trying to figure out what was happening, a breeze slid on past and his face rippled a little revealing different features behind it. She was so startled by this that she was unable to stop what happened next. His mouth suddenly collided with her own instantly removing any thoughts in her mind and causing her to gasp in surprise.

The shock only got worse as his tongue then dove inside brushing roughly against every place he could reach while pulling her tighter into his body. Her mind was reeling from the shock and confusion of what was happening. One thought managed to force its way to the surface after a minute or two yelling at her for not pushing the guy off as it wasn't Kensei...it wasn't Kensei...

The thought finally allowed her to get a hold of herself, but by then the kiss was over and she could see the back of his shihakusho disappearing around a corner. "What the hell...?" her mind screamed. She didn't expect an answer and ignored the one that came by way of her sword.

Instead she stared at the ground letting the previous scene play through her mind again and again until it finally solidified. She'd been kissed by Aizen. Not just kissed, he full on made out with her and she didn't push him away. That is, she was basing her analysis off of what she'd seen in Lisa's books.

Once these thoughts finished careening through her mind and crashing into the back of her eyes so that she couldn't get the memory to disappear, she felt her stomach give a nasty jerk and dashed as fast as she could to her bathroom. She spent a good ten minutes rinsing her mouth, brushing every part of her mouth that didn't make her gag, spitting, then rinsing again.

Even after the ten minutes she was sure she could still feel the man's tongue in her mouth and that made her want to keep scrubbing. Not even Kensei had kissed her like that...it made her sick to her stomach to think she'd allowed someone other than him to do so.

Once she was sure she'd done all she could, Yukiko collapsed on her bed and buried her face in her pillow hoping the darkness would help alleviate the images and unwanted sensations brought about by the sudden kiss. It didn't work.

"Why!" she screamed internally. "Why did he do that? I never gave any signal I wanted that from him and I never thought he felt that way towards me either! Why didn't I push him away?"

"_You know the answer to those questions already."_

As usual her sword was the voice of reason and Yukiko tried to calm down long enough to see it. "You mean...the ripples right?"

"_It wasn't him."_

"I know it wasn't...but that just makes it worse," Yukiko groaned. "I made out with a total stranger. I feel gross."

"_I understand how you feel but you have to realize something. You have to tell Captain Hirako what happened. If nothing else you can get this straightened up so it'll never happen again. If it does you can file for harassment."_

"Yeah, that's easier said than done," Yukiko muttered. "Besides, since that wasn't Aizen, there's the bigger question of where is Aizen really? Was that guy the one really responsible and just pretending to be Aizen or was he a stand in so Aizen could do something else entirely? I have no way of knowing and I'm not going to be pointing fingers without proof."

"_You still need to report what happened. Think about it, if that man actually replaced Aizen, it could mean your lieutenant is actually in trouble and he should be watched to find out what happened. If he's just standing in for him, he still needs to be watched to find out what he's up to."_

"Again, Soyokaze. I. Need. Proof."

She didn't think it was that difficult to understand. She could say whatever she wanted but that didn't mean anything was going to happen because of it. Sure, her captain would more than likely take her word at face value, but without anything more than "I saw him but can't show you what I saw" there was nothing he could really do.

"_I understand. We'll keep looking for proof then. But you should at least alert your captain to the incident today. It should be enough for him to be watched at least."_

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Yukiko sighed moving her face out of her pillow. "Alright, then later tonight after his work is mostly finished I'll try to tell him. I just hope it goes better then I think it will."

With that, she sank farther into her covers feeling completely drained. She began to drift off and mentally requested her sword wake her in a few hours before slipping into a restless sleep.

* * *

It was dark by the time Shinji felt he had time enough to take a brake. He was sitting at his desk with tired eyes, maybe he should head to bed himself; it was late enough after all. He glanced up as the door to his office opened and Yukiko walked inside.

"Captain Hirako, I know you're busy, but do you have a minute?" she asked worriedly.

"Oh, hey Yukiko. Yeah, I'm pretty much done tonight anyway," he replied with a yawn. "What do you need?"

"There's something I feel I have to tell you," she murmured nervously. "Earlier today I believe that I..."

She paused as Hirako heard a gentle breeze past by his open window. She just seemed to freeze then and her eyes filled with fear staring at the window. Feeling concern about her sudden change, he glanced over at said window trying to see what could have possibly made her stop but saw nothing. What was going on? "What did you do today, Yukiko?" he asked, slowly.

It took her a few minutes before she looked back at him and seemed to be pulling herself together. When she did, the nervousness and fear still remained and she stumbled over her words. "Today...I...I finally got one of the jokes our 8th seat tells all the time," she filled in.

"Is that it?" Shinji asked raising an eyebrow. She didn't usually bother him with something so...trivial. And it seemed as if she'd changed her mind on what to say. What was it supposed to be? "Well, I'm glad you got it."

"Y-yeah it's been bothering me for ages," she replied with a forced laugh. "Sorry to bother you over it."

She turned to leave and the blonde captain felt like he shouldn't let her leave. "Yukiko, you know you can tell me anything, right?" he asked slowly.

"Yeah, I know Captain," she said with a smile. He could easily see the nervousness behind it.

"That includes whatever you were actually going to say," he murmured. He wanted to make sure she understood that he figured out she'd changed her words and that he was willing to listen to it.

"R-right."

"I'll be available to listen whenever you want to tell me," he told her. "No matter when it hits you, I won't turn you away."

Her smile softened at that and she nodded. "Thanks, Captain Hirako." With that she left looking somewhat better than she had come in, but only slightly.

Shinji walked to his door and watched her head down the hall until she turned the corner. Then he went back to his window and stuck his head outside trying to see if he could identify what had spooked her. As he thought, nothing was there. But something had to have been there to make her clam up like that. But what? She was tough, and after years of training and gaining confidence, hardly anything really frightened her anymore. What would scare her enough to get her to be silent on something? Especially if it was something as important as she made it sound.

He had to find someway to get her to spill it. Next time he'd make sure they were alone, that should help at least. He had a feeling that what she was going to say he really needed to hear.

* * *

Shippoman: The clock is ticking as Yukiko steps closer and closer to the truth. But will Aizen let her get anything out to those who could help? And will Yukiko manage to completely figure out his schemes? Stay tuned to find out. Remember to R&amp;R.

Also, I just finished writing up the last of this story. It takes up only two more chapters and one short epilogue. So please let me know how you like the ending and whether I should continue it.


	38. Training Ends

Chapter 38: Training Ends

After her initial failure trying to explain things to her captain, she spent the next week trying to find moments to tell him what she knew. Unfortunately, no matter where or when she tried to say it, a pair of cold emotionless eyes could be seen nearby. Just like that first night, when she'd seen them from his open window. They seemed to be daring her to finish saying it, almost threatening the life of her captain if she did. Every time she ended up saying something rather stupid instead.

The only upside was that he seemed to understand that what she had to say needed to come out and that there were reasons she couldn't. So every time she ran into him, he tried to make sure they were completely alone before allowing her to speak. She was grateful for the effort he was putting in, but it didn't matter if those eyes were able to be there as well.

After the second or third time seeing them, she figured out who they belonged to. They were Aizen's. She'd never seen him have such eyes, but now that she had it only served to strengthen her assumption that he was involved with all the ripples she'd seen and heard. Meaning, he knew what was going on with the strange hollows.

"Agh, what am I supposed to do?" Yukiko groaned after another failed attempt to get it out properly. "It's like he's everywhere now, just waiting for me to try and say anything. I don't even know if what I've seen is completely right anyway."

"_No, but after everything that's happened, I feel even more strongly that he is."_

"Same here honestly...but, I can't say anything with him hanging around," Yukiko grumbled. "If I get it out when he can hear me he might attack Captain Hirako who can't see him at all like that."

"_Well, maybe you could try using your wind barrier the next time you talk to him. Nothing has ever gotten through it."_

"Not yet anyway," Yukiko agreed. "But the problem is that he's a lieutenant. And to make matters worse, since he's able to hide himself with illusions like that there's the chance he's far stronger than he's ever put out. Right now...I don't think I'm strong enough to block him."

"_In that case, wait. Wait until you are, then relay the information. As long as things continue to move fairly peacefully like this it shouldn't matter if you wait a little longer."_

Yukiko thought it over for a moment and had to agree. She was already waiting until she was at least finished with her training to do a few other things, what was one more? Now that she thought of it, with her training finished she felt she would be strong enough...strong enough to at least stop an attack long enough to get the information out.

"Alright, I'll wait then," she replied and felt her determination rekindle. "I'll train harder than ever to finish as soon as possible. Once that's done, I'll tell him everything I've seen, heard, and discovered. Whatever it is Aizen is up to, we'll find it and put a stop to it."

With that thought in mind, she headed off to complete her latest mission, full of determination and resolve. She wouldn't allow herself to lose completely to Aizen. No, she wouldn't lose anything. She was going to stop him, no matter what it took.

* * *

A large burst of wind shot across the training grounds, leading to the destruction of one of the man-made mountains there. Youruichi looked from the destruction to the girl beside her who after a moment or two collapsed to the ground panting heavily. It was clear the girl was exhausted, but the smile on her face told the captain she was pleased with what she'd just accomplished.

"I did it..," she panted before sitting up and looking at her trainer. "Youruichi, I finally did it!"

Youruichi smiled and nodded, helping the girl up to a sitting position and allowing her to lean against her for support. "You've done very well, Yukiko," she agreed and even laughed. "That last attack was very powerful. I think you've gained all you're going to from me."

"Huh, you mean the training is over?" Yukiko asked in surprise. She hadn't expected it to be over so soon. She'd been training for this one thing for about four years after all. It normally took longer than that...much longer.

"Not quite," Youruichi assured her. "You need to train a lot more in it before utilizing it in real combat. However, I feel you're far enough along to show your captain. I'm sure he'll be impressed."

"Yeah, I hope so," she murmured softly. "At any rate, I did promise to show it to him when I was finished. Him, Kensei, and Kisuke. Are you sure I'm far enough along to do that?"

"Absolutely," Youruichi answered with a laugh. "You're more than ready to show it off, so long as you don't fight with it yet."

"Alright, I promise. I'll train with it a lot more before I use it for real," Yukiko acknowledged. By this point she was feeling a little better and slowly got to her feet with a little assistance from the captain of squad 2. "Thank you for everything, Youruichi. Did you want to finish our time today or am I free to return?"

"I think you've earned an early return," Youruichi laughed. "Just make sure to take it easy on your way back. You're already exhausted and I know you're going to show it the moment you get back, but don't push yourself too hard. I don't want to hear about you winding up in squad 4 because you overexerted yourself and collapsed."

"You got it," Yukiko agreed. Then she gave the captain a hug and dashed toward the exit, waving as she went.

"Heh, there she goes," Youruichi murmured softly to herself. "She's come so far in such a short amount of time. It makes me wonder just how far she'll go." She shook her head and stretched a bit planning on continuing her own training. "Now, I'd better increase my own skills. If we're not careful, she 'll surpass every one of us."

* * *

By the time Yukiko made it back to the barracks of her own squad, it was well into the afternoon. She'd taken her trainer's words seriously and used the time it took to return to her own squad to recover at least somewhat. As the barracks came into sight she could tell her body was still pretty exhausted, but that didn't matter at the moment.

Today was the day. She was finally going to be able to show off her new skill to her captain, and tell him everything she knew and/or suspected about Aizen. No emotionless eyes were going to stop her from accomplishing this goal. Then once that was through, she was going to get in touch with Kensei. She blushed as she thought about his expression when he saw how far she'd come. Then, like he'd promised, they could give having a real relationship a try. She couldn't wait.

Finally, she stood before her captain's door and pushed her way inside, pleased to see that the Lieutenant was not present. "Captain Hirako," she greeted grinning widely at him.

"Oh, Yukiko, I wasn't expecting you back for another couple hours or so," Shinji greeted her without looking up from the paperwork that covered the surface of his desk. Being a captain always looked so exhausting to her. "Training end a little early?"

"Yep, I finished it," she answered proudly. "I want to show you what I gained from it...and to tell you something rather important."

He looked up at her at this and she pulled back her excitement a bit. He was probably really tired that day, and she knew he'd probably had enough of her telling him "important" things. Still, this time she was going to get it across.

"I see," he muttered looking back at his paperwork without really responding at all. Yukiko felt herself deflating slightly at this. "I'm kind of busy at the moment so I won't be able to." She nodded her understanding feeling rather crestfallen and stupid for having believed otherwise. "I know you just got back from squad 2, but I need you to do something for me."

He held out a small envelope and Yukiko tiredly took it from him. She hadn't been expecting to go on a mission when she got back. She looked over the information and found it was just inspecting the current status of an old storehouse that hadn't been in use for nearly a century.

"I need you to look that place over and see if it's still useable. It's going to be torn down in the morning, so I want to know if I can actually use it so we don't have to waste the man power wrecking it," he explained easily, leaning back slightly in his chair. "Take the time to recover a little more and tell me everything you find. Then when you get back I'll see what you've learned."

He was smiling by the end of his statement and Yukiko was all smiles. He was just worried about her and knew she wouldn't be able to just sit around and wait either. "Thank you, Captain," she returned cheerfully. "I'll get this done and be back before you know it. And don't worry, what I've got to show you will blow you away."

He chuckled at that and she turned running out of the office. She was more than willing to get this mission over with as quickly as possible and hurried off to the storehouse. It would all be over soon, of that she was certain. With her speed and desire to get it over with, she reached the storehouse in next to no time.

The place was pretty run down and looked as if it hadn't had anyone step foot inside in several decades. Still, it looked sturdy enough from the outside, but she knew she'd have to go in to really get a good impression of its usefulness. So, with the light breeze blowing about her chin length hair, she stepped up to the front door and reached for the handle.

As she did so, a gust of wind rushed past her and she saw a large ripple stretch across the door, momentarily revealing it to be made of steel instead of the apparent wood. "What is..." she muttered to herself, pulling away her hand. She blinked a few times and the ripple was gone.

Something wasn't right about this. She'd determined that the ripples were due to Aizen's illusions, but why would he place an illusion over a place like this.

"_I don't like this,"_ Soyokaze murmured within her. _"You should garner the attention of your captain first. I don't think you should go in there alone."_

"No...I'll need a little more than I can see something through a ripple," Yukiko pointed out. "That's kind of the whole reason I still haven't really reported Aizen just yet. That and the fact that he scared me too much. Besides, I'm investigating this location. Finding out what's in there is part of my mission."

Steeling her nerves, she stepped back up to the door and grasped the handle she could see through the ripple caused by her own wind, and pulled it open. Immediately when she stepped inside, she was a little disappointed as she couldn't see anything beyond a few old crates and a second story ledge that ran along the walls leaving the center open. At first, she wondered if there was really nothing there, but then reasoned that it was probably hidden the same way the outside was.

So preparing herself for a very exhausting investigation, she stirred up the wind once more forcing it to move all about the room. Doing so brought on several ripples around her until the wind was literally causing the ripples to expand until she could see clearly what was there.

To her surprise, she found the building filled to the brim with all sorts of lab equipment and monitors on the far wall. She quickly darted about the place collecting as much information as she could from what she could see, and from the papers that occasionally flitted past thanks to the strength of her wind. On some of them she found evidence that the hollows she'd faced since joining the Gotei 13, and even a couple before hand, had been created right here.

She looked around trying to see if there was anything else of importance for her, while slipping the papers into her shihakusho, and noticed a large tank filled with a dark colored liquid that made it difficult to see the shadow that was inside. Drawing closer, she saw the thing shift and press up against the glass almost making her scream in surprise. A white hollow mask glared at her from behind the glass as it tried to bite it's way through.

"Hollows...Aizen...is experimenting on hollows," she muttered to herself. "Why?"

"_Right now you don't need to know that. You have enough to bring an investigation team here now. You don't want to be found here by Aizen or anyone else."_

"You're right. Let's go," Yukiko agreed turning away from the hollow in the tank.

As she moved toward the door, she spotted a tray of vials that were all filled with a dark red liquid. The sight made her slightly queasy as it drew up some nasty ideas about what it could be. Despite protest from her sword, she approached the tray and lifted one of the vials noticing a small piece of tape on the outside with writing on it. The word on this vial was "Yukiko".

"Blood? M-my blood? W-when did he?" she stuttered almost dropping the vial in her surprise.

"_Don't you remember the day you were found passed out on the street? No one knew what happened to you and even you don't remember falling asleep."_

"That's right...did he...?" She quickly put the vial back and started making her way toward the exit again, ending the reiatsu she was putting into her wind so the illusion set back in. She needed to get out of there and alert her captain. This was too much. Then all of a sudden, she felt her eyes begin to droop and her head began to spin. "I don't feel so..."

"_Yukiko! You can't fall asleep! It's the same thing that happened back then. Wake up!"_

The shout gave her enough wherewithal to blast her reiatsu around her, expelling the very thing trying to knock her unconscious. "Suzumushi's ability to put a weaker entity to sleep is really remarkable...isn't it, Kaname."

She turned slowly to look at the far end of the room where the man in question stood, his sword only partially sheathed. The white mask and goggles that covered his dark skin looked empty for the first time to her. He was still wearing his Commando uniform and she felt a twinge of pain shoot through her. How could he wear that symbol of squad 9 and still confront her like this?

She watched as he fully unsheathed his sword without a word and brandished it in her direction. Then, Yukiko pulled out her blade as well. Her heart was breaking as she stared down one of the men that made it possible for her to gain control over her own power. She'd looked up to him and trusted him, but now he was brandishing his weapon against her.

"I'll give you one chance, Yukiko," Tousen murmured. "Return the papers you have on you and forget everything you've seen here."

* * *

Shippoman: Dun dun dun... And things have taken a turn for the worse. Yukiko finally has obtained the necessary proof to make her claims more viable, but with Tousen preparing to fight her, will she ever be able to show it to anyone? Stay tuned for the next chapter, when Yukiko is forced to fight...fight for everything she believes in. Remember to R&amp;R.


	39. Battle for Survival

Shippoman: Merry Christmas everyone. Just thought that as a Christmas present to you my fans I would post an extra chapter this week. Hope your holiday is wonderful and that you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 39: Battle for Survival

"I'll give you one chance, Yukiko," Tousen murmured. "Return the papers you have on you and forget everything you've seen here."

"You know I can't do that, Kaname," she murmured softly. "No, Tousen. You and Aizen have put the whole of Soul Society at risk with your experiments. This has to stop. I will take this information to my captain and it will all end here."

He shook his head slowly, then tightened his grip on his sword and pushed toward her swinging it toward her head. Yukiko easily pulled her blade up in time to hold his sword in place. She couldn't afford to lose here, but she knew her energy was extremely low. She knew she didn't need to beat him, she just needed to get outside and as far away from him as possible. So long as she got outside, she wouldn't be blocked by the illusion over the building and her captain would feel her. He'd come for her the moment he knew she was engaged in combat, she knew this. She was counting on it.

He came at her with several more blows that she was able to block, but she could feel her energy dropping little by little. Then all at once, he jumped back and raised his sword, "Suzumushi Nishiki." He brought his sword up and around his head in a long arc, seeming copies of the blade following behind his. As his circle ended, he muttered the next phrase. "Benehiko."

An instant before the last word left his lips, Yukiko realized what he was doing and brought her sword in front of her, running one hand down the blade. "Breathe, Soyokaze!" Her sword released and she brought the two fans in her hands up causing a large gust of concentrated wind to shoot out in front of her.

At the same time the hundreds of blades created by Tousen's sword flew in her direction, colliding with her wind. Yukiko grit her teeth and flared her reiatsu, increasing the strength of her wind. In doing so, she was able to blow all the blades away, though she did almost drop to one knee afterwords. She was completely exhausted.

"Mask of the flesh and blood, universal soar. The one crowned with man's name. Carriage of thunder, gap of the spinning wheel. Divide into six with light. Wait for the edge of the great fire in the distant heavens. Bakudo #66, Six Rods Light Prison."

Yukiko gasped as she felt the bakudo surround her. In an instant she launched herself into the air, just barely avoiding the six golden rods from driving into her body and sealing her movements. She had to be careful, Tousen was far more adept at Kido than she...she couldn't afford to get hit by anything he threw at her. No, she had to stay focused...focused on getting out.

"Hado #31, Shot of Red Fire!" She raised her hands, allowing the red ball to form in front of them and charged it allowing it to grow in size. When he was about to swing his sword towards her again, she spun around to his attacking figure and released it. It flew across the space between them, striking his sword and throwing him backwards. "Finally, now's my chance."

The moment she was certain he was too busy with her attack to do anything about it, she sprinted toward the still open doorway. She had to escape before the battle drew on any longer.

"Do we really have ta fight?" The voice came from just behind the door. Yukiko was started by the young voice. Then to her astonishment she watched the door slam shut. The one standing there, was none other than young Gin Ichimaru. "You could always make it easier by simply lettin' us take ya."

Yukiko skidded to a halt before him in a state of complete shock and confusion. "Gin, y-you too?" she asked feeling her already damaged and exhausted heart break even more.

"Shoot her dead, Shinso," Gin murmured gleefully.

Yukiko wasn't expecting him to release his sword, and it flew at her so fast she couldn't fully avoid it. She gritted her teeth in pain as his blade tore through her side. It retracted seconds later and she dropped to one knee holding a hand to her wounded side as blood dripped on the floor. It was hard enough fighting Tousen alone, but throwing Gin into the mix made it nearly impossible. She wasn't strong enough.

"Give up, Yukiko, there is no escaping from here."

Yukiko glanced up at Tousen who had managed to overcome her attack and was standing before her again. "W-what do I do? Soyokaze?" she pleaded with her sword.

"_There's only one option. You have to use it, just long enough to get outside."_

"But, but Youruichi warned me...not to," Yukiko panted.

"_I know, but if you do not, all your energy will disappear and you'll pass out from blood loss. I can only stem the bleeding for so long."_

"A-alright. Let's do it."

She slowly forced herself back on her feet and stood firmly facing the two. Then she crossed her arms in front of her, each fan sitting at her shoulders. She smiled at the looks of confusion on both third seats faces. Boy, won't they be surprised. She blasted the reiatsu around her until a vortex was formed shooting skyward and blowing a hole in the roof.

Then to both soul reaper's surprise, they heard her mutter one word from within the vortex. "Bankai!"

* * *

"Ugh, finally finished," Shinji moaned reclining in his chair, the last of the papers filled out on his desk.

He'd just finished his work and was relaxing before his 5th seat returned. He had a feeling he was going to be too caught up in what she had to show him for anything else that night and was glad he'd finished. He was just deciding what to do next when his door opened and to his surprise Kensei stepped inside.

"Hey, Kensei, what brings you here this late?" Shinji asked curiously.

"Just wanted to check on Yukiko," he answered guardedly. He always did hate admitting he cared for people. "She hasn't been by in awhile and Mashiro's been bugging me to find out why."

"I see, well you don't have to worry," Shinji muttered digging a finger into his ear. "She's doing just fine. The last while she's been spending almost all her free time training with Youruichi. I haven't seen her too often either. But she got back early from training today to say that she finished. She's actually going to show me what she gained once she returns from the mission I sent her on."

"She's finished?" Kensei asked remembering the conversation he'd had with her years before. Did that mean she'd reached the point they'd agreed on?

"Yeah, she was pretty stoked about it too," Shinji chuckled. "Said whatever it was would blow me away. She also said there was something she wanted to tell me, though she's been saying that a lot lately. I still haven't figured out what always seems to stop her from saying it though."

"Huh, that doesn't sound like her," Kensei muttered. "She's usually so direct. It must have been something pretty bad to get her to zip it."

"My thoughts exactly," Shinji nodded. "There've actually been a few other things that I've been concerned about as well."

"Yeah, like what?"

Their conversation came to a sudden halt when they felt a blast of intense energy tear past them. It was familiar, but far stronger than anything they'd experienced with them before. "Yukiko? Is she fighting?" Shinji exclaimed jumping to his feet. He had a bad feeling about this.

"What mission did you send her on?" Kensei demanded as he rushed out the door, Shinji hot on his heels.

"It was just supposed to be an inspection of a building," the blonde answered tensely. "There shouldn't have been anyone there for her to fight. I wouldn't have sent her on one that included battle with how tired she was when she got back. This was supposed to give her a chance to catch her breath."

"Fat lot of good that did," Kensei grunted. "Who the hell is she fighting anyway?"

"How the hell should I know?" Shinji returned. He grit his teeth in frustration, whatever she'd run into must have been bad. She was strong and shouldn't have any issue facing just about anything he could think of, but for her to be putting off that kind of energy, she'd need to be facing something as strong if not stronger than her.

"How far is this place anyway?" Kensei growled.

"Not far, we'll be there soon," Shinji answered. As he raced to rescue his 5th seat he had one thought in mind. "Yukiko, whatever happens, just hang on a little longer. We'll be there soon."

* * *

"Bankai!"

The vortex surrounding Yukiko seemed to increase for a moment, nearly blowing Tousen and Gin away before finally dissipating. As the wind died down they were able to see that Yukiko stood within it, hovering just slightly off the ground in what looked to be a cocoon.

"Amatsukaze."

The cocoon split in two and the two halves spread apart into large white wings. Her hair had turned white and she was giving off an unusual aura of violet tinted white that seemed to radiate out of her flowing with the small amount of wind that brushed around her.

"Ooh, Bankai, that's a bit tricky," Gin chuckled.

"To think, she reached bankai before me," Tousen grumbled.

"Ah, ya jealous?" Gin teased.

"Hardly."

Their attention was returned to the girl before them as her wings seemed to relax on either end of her. Then all at once she looked up at them and released a relentless blast of wind that threw them backward despite their guards being thrown up. Then her wings dropped toward the ground lifting her up straight toward the opening she'd made in the ceiling.

"I have to get this information to Captain Hirako," she thought determinedly. "I don't know what they plan to do with this stuff, but if they're the ones making those strange hollows there's no telling what they'll come up with next or who they plan to hurt next. I can't let them succeed. I won't let them hurt anyone within the Soul Society."

In seconds she emerged from the hole and looked out over the seireitei toward her own squad. She wasn't too far from the barracks. She could feel her energy dropping fast and knew that she wouldn't be able to hold the form for much longer. She'd lost too much blood and she was too weak. Still she needed to move, so she turned in the right direction and prepared to launch herself away from her enemies.

Suddenly her movement was halted as she felt something wrap around her arms and drag her back the way she came all the way to the ground. She landed with a heavy thud and gasped having lost her breath. Her energy dropped again and this time it dipped low enough that her wings vanished and her sword returned to its sheath.

Looking over her shoulder to see what the problem was, she spotted a thick black chord wrapped around her arms with spikes keeping them in place. "No way, Bakudo #99...without an incantation? Without even saying the number? Impossible," she whispered feeling her fear spike. Who was strong enough to use that bakudo that way? Even Tessai, a master of kido, needed to say the number at least.

"There's no place for you to run, Yukiko."

This new voice terrified her more than anything else. In desperation, she drew up as much reiatsu as she could to cut through the bakudo's chords. She did so only to have her head spin. Her vision was beginning to fade, she knew she no longer had the energy to run, much less stand.

"Bakudo #63, Kido Chains."

Yukiko winced as a set of golden chains wrapped around her and pulled her up onto the nearest wall. She slowly opened her eyes and was able to make out three figures before her. The two she'd been fighting and one other...one she wasn't surprised to see. "A-Aizen," she grunted. One end of the chain was in his hands.

He slowly approached her and took her chin in his hand. "I thought I asked you to call me Sousuke," he murmured.

She didn't have the strength to say anything, so instead she just spat in his face. She wasn't going to allow him to intimidate her, not now.

"I see, you are still very determined. Does this mean you won't forsake the soul society and assist me?" he guessed. She just glared at him, daring him to so much as touch her again. "Very well."

He reached over and removed the papers from the inside of her shihakusho, not seeming to care about the fact he practically groped her to do it. Once he did so, he marched over to a console that she only just realized was visible again. Here he turned to her again as he set his hand on a single switch.

"Just remember, you brought this on yourself, Yukiko."

He pulled the switch and Yukiko mentally cried out for someone to find her...anyone. Then all at once an enormous amount of pain shot through her body making her body seize up and a scream erupt from the back of her throat. She screamed until the last of her consciousness faded into blackness.

* * *

Shippoman: Once again, Aizen's proved to be too cunning and too powerful for anyone to oppose him. Only this time, it claimed another soul. What will happen when Shinji and Kensei arrive? Will Yukiko live through this terrible ordeal? Stay tuned for the final chapter...Epilogue. Please remember to R&amp;R.


	40. Loss

Shippoman: Hello all, this is the last installment of Changing Winds. I figured this would be the perfect time to post, as yesterday was the one year anniversary of this story. Just to let you know, there'll be a lot less dialogue than in other chapters and it's longer than the rest, but I felt it was necessary not to split it up. Anyway, thanks to everyone for sticking around for this year to read and hopefully enjoy my story. Now on with the finale!

* * *

Chapter 40: Loss

Shinji was wiping the sweat from his forehead as he approached Kensei who was seated on the ground nearby. He'd just finished a sweep of the storehouse and the surrounding area with no luck. He'd made sure to have his men search every inch for any sign of his 5th seat and what became of her, but so far, no luck.

An hour prior, he even put in a request to squad 12 for an analysis, but it was still too soon for any of them to show up. Now, he just needed to find some way of keeping the high strung captain from going on a rampage of his own.

"Have you found anything yet?" the silver haired captain grunted when he noticed the other approach.

"Not yet," Shinji murmured slumping against the wall with him. "All traces of her reiatsu, have all but vanished. There's absolutely nothing left."

"That's bull shit. There's got to be something in there," Kensei argued trying to stand up, but the other kept a firm hand on his shoulder.

"You and I both felt it, Kensei," he growled. "One minute her reiatsu was flaring stronger than either of us have ever felt it before. Then all at once it fell to almost nothing, though we could still feel it there. But then the last was snuffed out entirely. Now...it's almost like she just vanished into thin air."

"You've at least got something on the bastard that did this," Kensei argued.

Shinji just shook his head. "That's just it. There's nothing here. No sign of a struggle, or that anyone was even here. All we have to go on is the fact that we both felt Yukiko here and that I sent her here. We didn't even sense a second party. It felt like she was in a fight but there was nothing to tell us who she was fighting...or what."

"So what, you're just gonna sit here and wait for something to show itself?" Kensei demanded angrily.

"Tch, hardly," Shinji grunted. "Since we don't really even have a starting point, I'm waiting for representatives of squad 12 to show up and do an analysis. Hopefully they can give me one." He sighed heavily knowing exactly why the squad 9 captain was so bent out of shape. "Look, by now I'm sure more people have noticed her reiatsu has disappeared. You should probably head back to your own squad and settle down your men...or more specifically Mashiro. I'll keep you up to date on anything I find out."

* * *

6 Years Later...

"Then it has been decided," Head Captain Yamammoto declared from his spot before the assembled captains. "Roujuro Otoribashi, Shinji Hirako, Love Aikawa, Hachigen Ushoda, Lisa Yadomaru. I hereby assign all five of you to form the investigational unit in charge of this vanishing souls case."

The four remaining soul reapers bowed silently in understanding then left squad 1 in a hurry, sprinting toward where their comrades had disappeared. Lisa, having left before the rest of them. Shinji quickly took the lead as his shunpo was faster than the others. He had to get there quickly. He couldn't fail this time. There were speculations that souls had been going missing far longer than the reports showed. Many believed that Yukiko had been the first victim. It wouldn't be that difficult to believe. Like the other souls her reiatsu had completely vanished without a trace. The only difference was that her clothes had been missing as well.

Shinji didn't want to believe that she'd died, but considering that in the past 6 years nothing more had been found he was losing his belief that she was even alive. Maybe she had been the first victim...if that was the case he had to make sure no one else met the same fate, and that the one responsible was stopped. He wouldn't allow them to do any more damage to soul society.

It didn't take him very long to reach the area in question and was almost immediately drawn into a fight...a fight he didn't want to participate in. He'd run into Hiyori who'd been fleeing from none other than the captain of squad 9, Kensei. He was wearing a hollow mask and had protrusions on his back. He attacked them ruthlessly.

Then the others arrived and began to fight him off. Mashiro appeared, also wearing a hollow mask, and knocked Rose to the ground. While Shinji kept Hiyori tucked beneath his arm, she attacked him relentlessly. Luckily, Hachigen showed up and was able to use a bakudo to pin the hollowfied lieutenant to the ground before following it up with another to bind Kensei. This one didn't stay for long as the powerful captain tore loose.

His power was amplified by the hollowfication and Shinji was worried as he watched the others battle his long time friend. Hachigen came up with a plan to restrain the silver haired captain. They all worked together to bring it to fruition, ending with Hachigen using a level 99 bakudo.

Shinji believed it to finally be over and was looking for what to do next when Hiyori suddenly grew a mask of her own and sliced through him. Then, everything suddenly went dark and all but Shinji himself were taken down; blood pouring from their bodies. To his surprise the attacker was someone he knew and trusted.

"Kaname, tell me, why did you betray your captain?" Shinji demanded of the dark skinned soul reaper.

"He didn't betray him." Shinji was stunned by the new voice and turned his head just enough to catch sight of an approaching figure. "He's actually quite loyal. As a matter of fact, Kaname was just loyally following my orders. You, of all people, can understand that so please don't hold it against him, Captain Hirako."

"Sousuke." Shinji's growl came out almost as a gasp brought on by his exhaustion and anger. "I should have known it was you."

"You mean you were on to me? That was very good," Aizen commented lightly.

"Of course, that's why I'm a Captain." Shinji was quickly becoming irritated as he felt the other man was looking down on him.

"When did you suspect?"

Now, it was his turn to talk down to the man. "From the beginning. From the time you were in your mother's womb and maybe even before then."

"How witty of you." Aizen sounded amused, though his expression didn't change.

"To be perfectly honest, I always felt you were someone dangerous," Shinji admitted, hoping he'd be able to draw some information from the man, or at least find an opening. "Someone who could never really be trusted. And as long as we're telling the truth here, that's the real reason I chose you to be my Lieutenant. I only did it to keep an eye on you, Sousuke."

"Yes, I must thank you for that, Captain Hirako. I depended on your deep distrust of me to make sure you kept watching," Aizen followed up. "That's what made misleading you so simple."

"What are you saying? You were never out of my sight." It wasn't possible for this man to have pulled the wool over his eyes. He'd made sure to keep him under surveillance, going so far as to have Urahara use cameras to help out. He wouldn't have had a chance to do anything without him knowing.

"You were keeping an eye on the wrong person. During this past month, when you were so aware of my presence, it wasn't me who was following you." Aizen's face looked as if he was having fun throwing his cunning into the face of his captain.

"What?"

"I have a very useful ability. I can make anyone mistake any phenomenon for something else at will. That is the true power of my zanpakto, Kyoukasuigetsu. I refer to it by the common term, complete and utter hypnosis."

"You're saying, you hypnotized me?" Shinji growled. He shouldn't have an ability like hypnosis, he'd seen the man's sword before. Where did such a power come from?

His internal argument ended as his lieutenant began speaking again. To his surprise he went into a short monologue about what he'd down and how he'd managed it. He explained how Shinji's lack of trust was actually exactly what he needed to move about and went into detail about why it worked that way. He also added in his own opinions on how utterly clueless and foolish he'd been.

"Do you understand the depths of your situation now, my dear Captain Hirako?"

"Sousuke."

"Oh, and one more thing. Let me enlighten you about your assertion that you chose me as your lieutenant in order to keep an eye on me. Actually you're mistaken, it was the other way around."

"What are you talking about?"

Lucky for him, or unlucky, Aizen seemed to be in a talking mood. He decided to continue on and explain how he'd chosen Shinji as his captain instead of Shinji choosing him. He went into detain about why he believed he'd done the choosing and that the captain had in fact been blind to what was going on around him.

"Now, do you understand what I've been talking about? You did not choose me, I chose you, Captain Hirako. I suppose, when it comes right down to it, that you owe your friends here an apology. Because you were chosen by me, they ended up on the ground as casualties through no fault of their own."

Despite his best efforts not to, Shinji flew into a rage at this and went for his sword preparing to strike his lieutenant down. "Sousuke!" he roared as he moved. Then all at once, his movements came to a halt as a searing pain pulsed through his body before a thick white substance slipped out of his mouth before spreading over the left half of his face.

"I wasn't sure it would actually work but thank you Captain for going for my cheap taunt," Aizen mused.

"What's happening to me? Sousuke, what's going on?" Shinji demanded as a small jolt of fear began moving through his body. Was he afraid of Aizen? No...it was whatever was happening to him. The fear that plagued every being when faced with something unknown. The fear of death, or the fear of being powerless.

"As we thought, it appears that an agitated state helps to accelerate the hollowfication process," Aizen murmured to his two companions.

"Hollowfication...what have you done to us?" Shinji demanded keeping the fear out of his voice and replacing it with anger.

"I see no reason to explain, Captain."

Shinji's irritation was continuing to grow, but his attention was suddenly stolen by a whispered voice coming from behind him. "Sh-in-ji." He looked over and saw that Hiyori was somehow still standing and she seemed to have at least some level of control.

"Kaname."

"Yes, sir."

Shinji realized too late that Aizen and Tousen had realized her current state as well. He watched as the dark skinned soul reaper shot over to the small lieutenant and pulled out his blade. "No, don't!" The blade cut deep into Hiyori who screamed in pain and collapsed to the ground. Shinji wasn't about to allow them to finish her off, however, as he shot forward himself and blocked the next strike. "I don't know what's going on here, but if you think everything's going to go smoothly according to your plan you're greatly mistaken."

"Surprising resistance considering the progress of the hollowfication," Aizen mused looking between his subordinate and his captain.

Shinji panted heavily as he held his sword at the ready waiting for the next attack to come his way. He was pissed beyond reason but something was nagging at the back of his mind. "What was it that Sousuke said a few minutes ago?" He remembered the man mentioning that agitation sped up the process...which would mean... "If I manage to maintain my composure, this transformation process won't progress." He took a few deep breaths to calm his nerves and found that he had considerably more control afterwards.

"What shall I do sir?" Tousen called out, unsure of how to approach the still fighting captain.

"Go ahead and continue. We'll just have one less sample that's all," Aizen answered dismissively.

"So, I'm just a sample to you? Interesting way to describe a comrade." Shinji didn't really care one way or another, but muttering sarcastic comments like that was helping keep him under control.

Tousen lunged at him and he dodged the blow, following up with a strike of his own. The two exchanged blow after blow in quick succession, neither one gaining the upper hand over the other. Their blades flashed through the night, sparks emanating from where the metal clashed together. Each second the fight carried on, Shinji grew weaker and he knew he wouldn't be able to continue fighting for much longer. Yet, his strikes seemed to be coming faster and stronger.

"What's going on, I have almost no control over my body," he thought to himself. "I can't feel any pain. It's so strange. It's almost like someone other than me is doing the fighting. No wonder we had such a hard time dealing with Kensei, even when we outnumbered him." He brought his blade down hard and shoved Tousen away from him showing that his strength was becoming too much for the third seat. "But at this rate, I may have a chance."

"Sorry sir, but don't worry, I'll finish it now," Tousen muttered trying to reassure his leader.

"Don't concern yourself with it. I actually expected this would happen. In fact I theorized that the speed in which hollow transformation would occur would differ from individual to individual. I must admit, it was quite an interesting process to observe. However, your continued existence is immaterial. I believe it's time to finish you off, dear Captain Hirako. But before you go, there is one last thing I need to show you."

Aizen reached into his robes and pulled out a small black sphere. It looked no bigger than a pill, and actually reminded Shinji of the soul candy they used when in the human world for extended periods of time; except for the color anyway.

"What is that?" Shinji asked preparing for some new attack.

"You see, Captain Hirako, it occurred to me that you should be aware of what has befallen your ex-5th seat," Aizen explained, turning the pill slowly between his fingers. "So, to put your worries at ease, here. This is where she's been the last six years."

At first Shinji didn't understand what he was talking about, but after a moment it clicked. Soul candies were more or less capsules that contain a manufactured soul designed to keep the gigai from being damaged in battle. Did that really mean he'd trapped her body in that small space. Since they were souls themselves it wasn't entirely impossible. Still, he needed to make sure before making a move.

"What did you do to her?"

"She's not dead," Aizen answered easily. "However, it is impossible for her to communicate with anyone else. The reason being, she is currently sealed away inside an otherwise empty soul candy. She has not been idle either. During these long years, she's been kept busy with tests of different sorts. She's managed to pass a few, but has proven to be far more stubborn than I originally believed."

She wasn't dead...and in fact was sitting a few dozen feet in front of him, waiting to be rescued. If Aizen was honest about what he was insinuating, that meant chances were she was being tortured in that tiny prison. Not in the physical sense, but in a mental one. There was no telling what he was forcing her to go through, but somehow Shinji was certain that her stubbornness would only last for so long. If he didn't get her away from that man now, chances were she was going to break, and nothing would be able to fix it.

"In the end, Captain Hirako, I hope you'll remember one thing, any betrayal you can see is trivial. What is truly frightening, and much more lethal, is the betrayal you cannot see." Aizen slowly slid the pill back into his shihakusho as he spoke and began sliding his sword out of its sheath. "Goodbye. I must commend you, you people have provided wonderful research material."

Before he could move, there was a flash of black as two people suddenly appeared in between Shinji and his three attackers. Shinji couldn't really see the one wearing a long black cloak, but the other was none other than the Grand Kido Chief, Tessai Tsukabishi.

"Well, unexpected guests. How very interesting," Aizen murmured looking the two over.

Shinji was having a hard time getting enough control over himself to address the new comers. What were they even doing there?

"Shinji, how are you holding up?" the cloaked figure asked after a moment of silence.

"Kisuke? Why did you come all the way here, idiot?" Shinji growled back.

Instead of answering, Urahara turned back to the three and addressed them rather coldly. "Why are you here, Sousuke?" he asked calmly.

"Why I've only just arrived myself," Aizen answered easily. "I found the captains and lieutenants had been injured and was about to begin treating their wounds."

"What? That's bullshit," Shinji grunted, struggling to maintain his control. "Tell me you're not buying this, Kisuke."

"Let's try this again, Sousuke. Why are you here? This time, without the lie," Urahara was rather firm and unyielding as he asked his question. "You say they were injured, but what I see are simply signs of hollowfication, not battle wounds."

"I see."

"Plus, I couldn't help but overhear what you'd said earlier regarding this item," Urahara continued. Then he pulled up one hand to reveal that the pill Aizen had been holding onto before was now in his possession. "Hollowfication experimenting and sealing a squad member away in a soul candy. These will put you away for a long time, Sousuke."

"What you have there will hardly be worth the effort of stealing it," Aizen chuckled confidently.

Shinji was about to respond, but a searing pain tore through his body and he gasped in reaction before collapsing to the ground. The rest of the conversation was completely lost on him as his consciousness faded into nothing.

* * *

When Shinji came to, he was unable to identify his location. Around him were the other seven soul reapers that had been exposed to the strange process he'd remembered Urahara and Aizen mentioning; hollowfication. It took him a few minutes for his body to remember how to move properly, before he was able to get to his feet and stumble his way to the only door he could see. Luckily for him none of the others were in his way, so he didn't have to worry about tripping over them.

When he reached the door, he was somehow able to pull it open with his almost non-existent strength and make his way down a dark hallway. The next door he came to was wide open and he could see it led to a bathroom. So he quickly stepped inside, flipped the light on and stared at his image in the mirror. To his relief, the mask he expected to be there was gone.

"Looking for something?" a familiar voice asked cautiously.

Shinji turned slowly to see the owner standing in the doorway. He was wearing an old looking kimono and clogs on his feet. "Kisuke. Where are we?" he asked noticing a severe lack of familiar reiatsus.

"The human world."

"What? Why are we in the human world?" he demanded starting to get worked up. "What happened with Aizen?" As he asked, he could feel something stir within him and a dark voice chuckled seemingly pulling at his mind and body.

"Woah, you gotta stay calm, Shinji," Urahara said quickly, holding his hands out in a placating manner. "I promise I'll explain everything once the others wake up. But until then you have to remain calm."

Shinji felt the pull again and was forcefully reminded of Aizens words. "...it appears that an agitated state helps to accelerate the hollowfication process." Instantly he realized what Urahara's concern was directed at and started taking deep calming breaths.

"So, the process is still continuing?" he asked slowly.

"Not exactly," Urahara answered sighing in relief. "But I should wait to explain it until I can tell everyone else. So if you'll just relax for a bit, I'll clear everything up."

Shinji waited a few moments for the tugging sensation to dissipate before responding. "Alright, I'll wait."

He allowed himself to be helped back into the first room, where he sat down against the wall and waited. Urahara didn't stay with him long, instead he and Youruichi came in and out at various moments. The entire time he realized that the strange stifling sensation kept returning, as did the creepy laugh. What was going on with him?

Eventually all the others began waking up one after the other until they sat, alert and trying to control whatever was happening to them. That is, all except for Mashiro who didn't seem to be having any troubles at all.

That's when Urahara, Tessai, and Youruichi joined them. They took turns explaining what transpired after Shinji passed out all the way up until they began awakening. They were all fugitives from the soul society now, who branded the eight of them as dangers to the soul society to be destroyed as hollows. Tessai and Urahara were blamed for the incident and punished, the kido chief with imprisonment and the ex-captain of squad 12 with banishment to the human world and sealing of his abilities.

Youruichi had bailed them both out before the orders could be carried out, and they'd transported the eight ex-soul reapers out of harms way. Urahara then went on to explain that he'd placed each of them into a new gigai he'd invented. Ones that would be capable of masking their reiatsu. He told them the new forms would be capable of keeping them from being found by soul society or Aizen...until the time came they could fight him out right.

Then he explained that although the hollowfication process was halted, he could not reverse the damage already done. They all were now carrying a hollow with themselves, one that would constantly be trying to gain control over their bodies. The barrier between hollows and soul reapers had been broken and the only thing keeping them as they were, was their own strength of will.

"So, that's what the laugh is," Shinji thought and he heard it again. The hollow within. "There's still one thing you haven't explained yet," he muttered out loud, drawing the attention of the others. "What happened to Yukiko?"

"I'm sorry, I couldn't find it," Youruichi answered sadly.

"You mean that soul candy?" Kensei demanded jumping to his feet. He reeled for a moment and the others did what they could do calm him. "He had it with him...he had her trapped right there...and you couldn't grab it?"

"I did grab it," Urahara sighed. "However, it was empty. There was nothing in it. While that should tell me he was lying, I don't think he was. The power she held was unique and something he would try to find a use for. I believe he does have her trapped in a soul candy somewhere within the Seireitei. We just haven't found it yet."

"Then we have to go back. I'm not leaving her in that bastard's hands," Kensei declared before marching to the door.

"You don't have a chance!" Youruichi said loudly. "If you go back the way you are, you'll either fully transform into a hollow, or you'll be killed. What good will that do her?"

He stopped and Shinji understood what was going through his mind. He agreed. They had to get her out, but at this point, and after everything Aizen had said about what had befallen her the last six years he knew one thing. Whether it was now or later, she would not come out unscathed.

"Youruichi will continue to go to and from the soul society gathering any information she can," Urahara continued. "She'll also be looking for Yukiko's prison. Until we have that information, however, it would be best if you remained here and tried to figure out how to control the beasts within you. It could even prove to be useful in your future battles against Aizen."

Everyone agreed with the assessment and began thinking of how they were going to go about controlling the hollows. Even Kensei was grudgingly going along with it, having finally calmed down enough to listen. Shinji, however, couldn't get his mind off of Yukiko. He was sure Kensei couldn't either but figured talking more about her would be a bad idea right then.

"Yukiko, we will find you," he silently promised. "Just hold on a little longer...I know you're strong enough to do it. Whatever you do, don't give up. We'll be there soon."

* * *

Shippoman: And that's a wrap. I hope you all enjoyed my story and the way I positioned everything. Now I want to make sure you all know that I actually have ideas for how to continue this with the appearance of Ichigo and the others as Ryoka. But, I feel like it'd be a pointless thing to post if no one wants to see it. So I'm leaving it up to you the fans. If you want to see me continue this and reveal more about her time with Aizen let me know through reviews or PMs. Also let me know if you think I should just leave it at this. So please, even if you haven't told me anything about the story yet at least let me hear your opinion. Should I continue with the anime or leave it as is?

Thanks again for all the support you've given me this past year and I hope to hear from you the next time I throw a story up. :D


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